Bullet of Love
by 42SantaBaby42
Summary: Bella now finds herself surrounded by men, Volturi men. After taking a shot to the heart while trying to save the cocky, irresistible Edward Volturi, she is forced to stay in the Volturi Castle. Bella has a secret, and the Vamps of Volterra want in on it.
1. Overheard

**IMPORTANT!!!**

**I have added some new information to this chapter; I felt that it needed more. Though the majority of the original chapter remained the same, new information has been added; you may need to read it to understand further chapters. For those that don't read A/Ns, I am not sure what to say…**

**A/N: Hello. This is my second story on FanFiction and I have been thinking about writing this idea down for about a month now; I am extremely excited about writing it. I love to read other writers' ideas on ways that Bella and Edward meet and fall in love, so I am very excited to be telling you my idea. I hope you enjoy it…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga, but I sure do love Stephenie Meyer for creating Edward & Emmett for me.**

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* * *

Prologue**

I just _cannot_ believe that I got shot. I received an _actual_ bullet wound, and I still existed… I knew that my skin was strong, impenetrable even, because I am at least half vampire, but I have _never_ been _shot_ before… It was _strange_, unsettling, and I still can't believe it, even with this _piercing_ pain above my left breast- _directly _into my heart.

I just cannot emphasize it enough; this pain and realization could make anyone make an overuse of italicized words...

I mean, come on, who gets shot and lives? Okay, I know that tons upon tons of people get shot, and I know that most of the people live…

Wait. Time for a rephrase…

Who gets shot directly- as in _right_ into, as in smack dab! - into the heart, of all organs, the most vital one to survival, and lives through it to feel the truly, truly _excruciating _pain of it for countless hours?

Did I mention that I have been laying here paralyzed and enduring unimaginable pain for many, many hours now?

I am in pain.

That… bullet-wound would have killed any _normal_ human by now, of that I was positive.

_That stupid bullet_. Oh, I have a way better one… _That stupid moron who shot me with the damn bullet_!

What pained me even more than the wound was the fact that I had jumped in front of this bullet to save _this man_. That bullet would have killed him _instantly_, even though he is a full vampire_._ A full vampire, for crying out loud!

I knew even before I jumped that the bullet wouldn't kill me, but _this_ shock came after the fact.

I _would not_ have jumped to save this man if I had known that he would actually turn out to be this self-centered, egotistical _monster_, but I suppose that I am one to talk, I am a monster also- more so than _him_, even.

And I had known before I had even boarded the plane to be shot that he was a "_bad-boy_". You would think that this guy would be a little grateful; I had just saved his life, though he doesn't know that, yet.

Somehow, I think he knows that I did a ten-meter jump across the lot just to land in front of his heart, to spare him, even if he didn't know yet that I knew I wouldn't die in my attempt.

Either way, I highly doubted that he would care; he would probably make some comments that stated that I needed to try not to fall into any pathways that a gun may cross. I'm expecting that reaction, and I expected it before I had jumped.

Again, I knew all of this, and still, I saved him in the end.

Someone had to.

* * *

**1. Overheard**

There was nothing interesting on the television. I sat on the couch in my preferred attire of holey sweats, flipping through channels on the television that was sitting on the northernmost wall from me. As I was flipping through the channels, a clip of the Sunday news momentarily caught my attention.

Someone had been shot getting out of their car earlier in the week- he was found without a wallet or any ID, he was named a John Doe; someone had murdered an elderly man over bills that weren't paid- the younger man had been arrested for breaking and entering the elder's house, and stabbing him to death; a teacher had had relations with a student outside that of duties entitled to her in that position of authority... The list went on and on... It was always the same thing.

But none of that was happening here, in this tiny town of Forks, Washington; nothing ever happened in this small town except for loads of unwanted, excessive rain- lots and lots of excessive rain. Occasionally, we would have snow- just as bad as the rain, worse even. On very, very rare occasions, it would be sunny, and I was most grateful that I received even that much. Though, as soon as the sun came out for any moment, it retired to its usual spot back behind the clouds, rain taking the place of any sunshine that had been shed.

Seattle is a few hours away from here, and _that_ is where all of the crime on the news was happening; Seattle is a city of crime's galore.

_There is too much murder in this world, too many deaths, and all of the murderers had the choice- to do it? or not to do it? I never had the choice; I didn't even have control over the murder I committed_. I shook my head at the violence that could have been prevented; why couldn't things be settled without the pain? It would be loads easier that way, I tell ya. Was crime and murder really necessary for getting what you wanted? I couldn't understand how someone could take the life of another, with intent, but this was coming from someone who had already taken a life, whether intended or not.

So much of this was happening nowadays; it wasn't uncommon to hear of an upcoming funeral or a new sentence to jail, especially in Seattle. Someone would get sued on occasion. I had lived in many worse places, however, and Seattle seemed tame compared to some of the cities I had inhabited in my _overly_ long life.

Flipping through some more channels, I realized that there was nothing of interest to me on the box, so I turned it off. My adoptive parents weren't home at the moment because they were out hunting; I had already hunted the night before, so they had left me here for a while, but not before promising me that they would be home to me as soon as they could get back. The reassurance from my adoptive parents was not needed, but Carlisle and Esme insisted on treating me like a princess, though, with my _horrid_ past, I knew deep down that I didn't deserve their kindness- they thought otherwise.

My two sisters, Alice and Rosalie, were off on a shopping spree for the _entire_ week, as in, an _entire_ week of their schooldays would be replaced by _clothing_. They would be missing school under the façade of touring colleges to which they were considering attending after graduation- they are Seniors, a year ahead of me. They had invited me along to take part in their favorite activity, like they always had, but I declined, and this was routine. Alice and Rosalie are my older sisters and they are also adopted, but they, at least, had some _blood_ tie to Carlisle and Esme. Carlisle had turned Esme to be his mate and he had turned Alice and Rosalie because Esme had wanted children, two daughters. Yey for estrogen.

But I, Isabella Marie Swan/Cullen, have no such tie to this wonderful family. Please, for the love of everything in existence, or not so cursed, call me Bella; Isabella is just… awful.

Esme and Carlisle, and Rosalie and Alice Cullen had taken me in after my biological parents' deaths exactly, to the day, 142 years previous; today is my birthday, today I turn 142. _Woo hoo_, I thought sourly, _let's have a party_.

Today is also, most conveniently, the 142nd anniversary of the murder I committed.

It all seems very confusing but in actuality it is fairly simple: My mother, Renee, became pregnant by my father, Charlie, and I had destroyed them both- on the day of my birth, how special a baby was I? You could call it a "double murder" as a birthday present...?

I don't know.

But I suppose it would be better to leave my very biased opinion _out_ of the storytelling…

I will start from the very beginning:

-

Phil Weston had been working for the Volturi Guard at the time that he changed my father, Charlie Swan, into a vampire around 573 years ago. Phil was, at this time, on duty as the "changer" in the Volturi Guard, so whenever Aro Volturi, the head "royal" vampire, asked that a human be changed because he may have powers in the new life, Phil was the one to change him.

It was actually a simple job, but Aro took his "prizes" – his vampires with special "talents" - very seriously, and he awarded Phil greatly.

When Charlie Swan had completed his transformation into a vampire, it was proven that Aro Volturi's assumptions were accurate- my father could tap into the minds of others. It was an _extremely _rare talent, mind-reading, and there was only one known person alive, at the time, who held an ability similar to Charlie's.

Aro Volturi needed merely to touch a person to instantly know every thought that the person he was touching had ever had, but Charlie's ability was somewhat different from Aro's. Charlie could hear surface thoughts of everyone in a proximity to him, even my mother. (That was probably a strange relationship). Just imagine…

There is a man, now, that has the same ability that my father had had when he was alive. The two vampires in existence today that have similar abilities to that of my father's are Aro Volturi and his son, Edward Volturi, I believe the _prick's_ name is. Like I said, the gift is extremely rare.

Aro and his two brothers, Marcus and Caius Volturi, "ruled" over the vampire world at this time and in truth, they still were the "royal" family to all of the vampires. The Volturi Royals and their guard are the most feared force in this world.

They are very scary.

Through these men and Phil, Charlie met Carlisle- who was already 691 years young- and they become instant best friends; Carlisle told my father of his changing and what had happened to him in his human life that had led to his transformation into a vampire, and Charlie had done the same.

They were the best of friends back then, and it was through each other that they had started to accept this life. They were the only two vampires in Volterra, Italy that had chosen to be "vegetarian" vampires- only feeding off of the blood of animals, though human blood would have been preferable to any others of their kind.

Eventually, after years of living in Volterra and "befriending" the Volturi Royals, Charlie and Carlisle left Volterra to explore what the world would be like as a vampire, and they eventually went to a human college together and Carlisle became a doctor while my father became a police chief.

Several hundred years later, after traveling amongst humans and playing the role of their doctor and law enforcer, Carlisle met Esme and changed her into a vampire. He didn't want to change a person and condemn them to this life, but he made an exception for Esme because she was already dying. And there's the fact that he fell in love with the very sight of her.

Charlie saw how happy Carlisle and Esme were when they were together and he wanted to be with someone like that, but he felt that love would never find him. So he went looking and he happened to come across my mother. My human mother, at that.

Renee wasn't dying when Charlie met her, so he decided that she should stay human and she was more than happy to be that way for as long as she possibly could.

They fell in love.

Renee and Charlie got married and to their great surprise, Renee became pregnant with her vampire husband's child. They were elated… at first. Then, the complications started. My parents had never heard of anything like this ever having occurred before, so they didn't know what to do. They wanted to keep the child if it was in any way possible to do so.

It _was_ possible to keep the child, as it turned out, but the mother would be destroyed in the laboring process.

Not only did my mother go through the complications of a rapidly growing child inside of her- she couldn't eat food because she couldn't keep it down and she was losing all of her strength because she couldn't maintain the sustenance needed- but she also had to die after being starved to death.

I ripped my way out of my mother.

I had killed her, and I had also killed Charlie…

As it had turned out, Phil had been jealous of the attention that Charlie had received from Aro- the attention that had once been his great payment for his services as "changer" - and Phil had been working to destroy Charlie's life for many years.

Phil saw Charlie's weakness after the loss of his wife, and Phil killed Charlie the only way you can kill a vampire: he tore him up and burned the pieces. Charlie, of course, did not fight Phil. Charlie was wishing for death because he had just lost his reason for existence.

He lost his love because his newborn daughter had killed her. Nice.

Carlisle knew deep down that it would be wrong to try to save his best friend, though he also knew that he would miss Charlie terribly when he was gone. Charlie wanted to die, and for Carlisle to save his internally tortured friend would be the worst act ever. In the name of friendship, Carlisle allowed Charlie his one wish, to die. Carlisle did not want to see his best friend living forever in torment.

Rosalie and Alice had tried to resist; they had become so close to Charlie and Renee Swan, and it wasn't every day that you had a human living in a vampire family's house. But Carlisle held them off, though; he too was wishing to save his companion of many years.

All that Charlie asked was that Carlisle and Esme would adopt his only daughter and for them to call her Isabella Marie. He had said that I could choose my own last name whether it be Swan or Cullen. I still haven't decided. He also wished them to help his baby to adjust to her life because he didn't know what would come of his little one.

So Carlisle and Esme Cullen carried out the promise that they had made to my father, enthusiastically I might add; Esme was more than happy to have another daughter added to the family, and she and Carlisle welcomed me with open arms.

I didn't deserve those arms.

-

And here I am with my very biased opinions again. They really don't seem so biased to me; full of truth is what my opinions are- sheer truth with no sugar on top.

Carlisle had told me the story the day that I had asked about my real parents, and he seemed to really cherish those memories. I hated that I had taken them away from him.

He and Esme would always insist that both my parents loved me with all their hearts, even though my father's wasn't beating.

So here I sit on this couch, a half- breed, half human and half vampire. My Cullen family says that the looks of my mother and father are evenly distributed in me. They have a joke to try to pacify my attitude about myself, but it doesn't work; they say that I am the most beautiful thing alive because, technically, my heart beats so I am alive, but I have some vampire in me which is always beautiful. I never agreed with them on the whole "beautiful" thing. I could NEVER compete with Rosalie. I am a "Plain Jane" and _Sports Illustrated_ would pay big bucks for Rose's photo.

I can only be described as plain. With matching chocolate brown eyes and hair, I really don't see how I could be anything besides, well, _plain_. The features that are my best would be my pale skin with a blush that comes along ever so often, and indestructible, marble textured skin. I was definitely not as breathtakingly beautiful as a full vampire. Nowhere close.

But this doesn't bother me much because I am a monster that murdered both her parents exactly 142 years ago today. How could a murderer be beautiful?

She couldn't.

I consider my family to be the most beautiful people in existence because they aren't murderers and I admire them for their choice of sustenance. Animal blood is not the best option available to our kind, but human blood…

Human food is horrible. Just the smell of a… pizza makes me want to throw up, and don't get me started on cake… Really, the only human food that I enjoy is chocolate. I really like chocolate.

But my main intake is animal blood. I have never had human blood and it isn't a challenge for me to go to school and not eat the other Juniors in my class because I have no desire to murder any more people, even if they do smell amazing and mouthwatering…

Ha, ha. I drink blood and eat chocolate. _Blood and Chocolate_; I love that movie.

I decided that it was late enough outside now that I was starting to have bizarrely random thoughts, even for me, and it was time to go to sleep- I can sleep; _actually_, I _have_ to sleep like any other human.

I really was exhausted and I didn't know why exactly, but I do know that the second my head touched the pillow, I was out.

I had bizarre dreams about random things. Mostly the dreams consisted of small memories that I have of the day I killed my parents. Sweet dreams to you, Bella.

xxxxxxx

I woke up on Monday morning to the beautiful sound of my buzzing alarm clock; I picked it up and chucked it at the wall on the other side of my bedroom. As you can see, alarm clocks are a tragic hole that I have to fix in my wall.

As much as I would have liked to stay in bed and skip school today, I knew that I would be in trouble once Carlisle and Esme found out, and they would find out because there are no secrets in a small town. I groaned.

I really hate school, and it seems natural that I would hate it because I have been a Junior in high school precisely 52 times. After a while, it gets kind of boring, and when I say "kind of" I mean that it is a pain in the you-know-what. I was so jealous of Alice and Rose for getting to skip out the entire week, but shopping with those two was a torture that I wasn't willing to face. Ever.

It only took me about five minutes to get ready for school. _Thank you, vampire speed._

I arrived at school within a minute- it's a small town, so the school is really close.

I got the same stare that I did every morning from Mike Newton.

I was escorted from class to class by Eric Yorkie, like I was every day.

And Tyler Crowley was holding my tray when I entered the cafeteria at mid-day.

This was all getting very boring.

My family and I have only been here for two months, but it seems like long enough that everyone would be used to the fact that there are new people in the town now. And yet, these three boys would not leave me be. It was extremely frustrating, let me tell you.

They were troublemakers anyways; Tyler Crowley makes it a habit of his to run over people with his van, but they always live; Eric Yorkie steals the test answers from his teachers and passes all of his classes with flying colors; Mike Newton stalks girls, and right now he is stalking me. Creepy.

xxxxxxx

School ended after hours of torture, and I got a call from Esme and Carlisle saying that they would be a few more days getting back because they had had an urge to visit Isle Esme- the Isle that Carlisle gave to Esme as a gift- and would be there for a few more days. I was truly glad that they had decided to do something together; it was… sweet.

They asked me how I was and if I wanted them to come back now.

Of course, I said I was fine and that they should really stay as long as they wanted, they never get enough time alone. Again, this is mainly my fault.

xxxxxxx

I was driving home when I heard an unmistakable sound; a werewolf was changing back to a human. It was odd that a werewolf would be here in its wolf form at this time of the day.

I decided to be snoopy and investigate; werewolves intrigue me, and my family doesn't understand it.

I parked my truck at the local mini-mart and made a run for where I had heard the sound. They would not know that I was there, I smell and sound like a human; they would think that I was just anyone else. This was a good thing.

I heard talking so I listened closely; I'm not sure why I was so interested in the first place…

"So, what did Leah do for me this time?"

"I think you are going to really like this one, Jake."

"I really hope so; I need him gone, Embry."

"She knows that and she couldn't agree more; we all know how much Leah hates the vampires.

I listened to this and I was shocked. I knew some of the werewolves' names that lived around here, and I knew that these two were Jacob Black and Embry Call. I wondered what they were talking about. What would Leah Clearwater have that Jacob Black could possibly want? And what could it do to this vampire they are talking about?

"A bullet? That's what she made? All this waiting and all the girl could come up with is a bullet!" Jacob yelled; he obviously wasn't happy with the "gift".

"Oooh, Jake. This is not just a bullet. It is made of werewolf tooth and claw and vampire skin and teeth. It is the strongest thing out there, _and it is faster than anything_, even vampire speed; he will not see this coming. The leech won't have the time to run away like the coward he is. And get this- you shoot it directly into his heart and he is dead. Like BAM." I heard the guy, Embry, chuckle with haughty laughter.

"How does that work?" Jacob sounded amused now, and a bit hopeful.

"Well, you know that a vampire's heart is harder than diamond, right?" I heard a head nod. "Well, this bullet is harder than that."

Silence.

"So what do you think, Jake?"

"I think that I need to be nicer to Leah, and that is _me_ saying that." It was true, from what I heard, Jacob and Leah didn't get along very well; he couldn't stand to be inside her head when they were both wolves. Being this interested in werewolves, I knew some things; werewolves' lives were like a soap opera.

I almost blew my cover when a giggle almost escaped my lips.

"Wow." Embry seemed stricken. "This will make it even better for you. She doesn't want payment this time; all Leah wants is for you to hit this directly into his heart, and the bullet will do the rest. She wants this bloodsucker gone just as much as you do."

Uh, oh. This doesn't sound good.

"No payment? Huh. Well, I want the leech gone, so I will go in a few days. I was planning to do it at the festival; that way, there will be more witnesses." Witnesses? What does this guy care about witnesses for? Strange werewolf.

Another silent giggle. I swear, I haven't giggled this much in years- literally.

"Ha, ha. I just hope you don't get caught, dude, Billy would be so pissed, Jake. I have a feeling he isn't going to like this one bit when he finds out."

"My dad isn't going to find out. Only you, me, and Leah know, and by the time I kill the damn leech it will be too late for any of them to try to stop me." I could hear the smile in his voice, and it made me sick. What was the festival that he was going to? More importantly, who was he going to shoot?

"All right then, man. Umm, Leah doesn't have much faith in your aim… so she made this bullet to where the only thing that will make it explode is a vampire's heart- directly. If you happen to miss"

"I won't."

"I don't doubt you, Jake, but Leah does. So if you happen to miss, it won't explode. If everything goes well and you hit him directly in the heart, he will burst into flames, and like I said, this bullet is faster than anything; Leah made sure it was. The guy won't survive."

It was ominously quiet for a few moments and then Jacob Black broke the silence; his voice clearly implied the hatred he was feeling and the satisfaction he would have in the near future…

"Goodbye, Edward Volturi."

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**A/N: Please, tell me if you like it in a review. It only takes a minute.**


	2. The Special Shot

**IMPORTANT!!!**

**I have added some new information to the last chapter; I felt that it needed more. Though the majority of the original chapter remained the same, new information has been added; you may need to read it to understand further chapters. For those that don't read A/Ns, I am not sure what to say…**

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in about a week; I have been trying to put some thought into this story, hence the added words (almost 1000) in the last chapter. I am so, so excited to write this chapter! Oh, man! I have been waiting for this part; it is my favorite. It's how I got the idea for this story. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: This particular story line is mine, but the characters that fill it are much too great to be from**_** my**_** head; I am not that able (ask my friend Twin). Besides, Stephenie Meyer is the great genius; I am merely a fan.**

**

* * *

**It was ominously quiet for a few moments and then Jacob Black broke the silence; his voice clearly implied the hatred he was feeling and the satisfaction he would have in the near future…

"Goodbye, Edward Volturi."

* * *

**2. The Special Shot**

I ran home faster than I thought possible; I had never run this fast before. It didn't even occur to me that I had left my truck at the local mini-mart until I had already arrived home. My mind was racing with the new intake it had just experienced. I thought back to some of the conversation that had occurred between Jacob Black and Embry Call not five minutes previous; with my vampire sense of memory, I was able to replay the entire conversation through my mind again. I replayed it over and over making sure that I had heard everything clearly. I had.

-

"_So, what did Leah do for me this time?"_

"_I think you are going to really like this one, Jake."_

"_I really hope so; I need him gone, Embry."_

"_She knows that and she couldn't agree more; we all know how much Leah hates the vampires._

_I listened to this and I was shocked. I knew some of the werewolves' names that lived around here, and I knew that these two were Jacob Black and Embry Call. I wondered what they were talking about. What would Leah Clearwater have that Jacob Black could possibly want? And what could it do to this vampire they are talking about?_

"_A bullet? That's what she made? All this waiting and all the girl could come up with is a bullet!" Jacob yelled; he obviously wasn't happy with the "gift"._

"_Oooh, Jake. This is not just a bullet. It is made of werewolf tooth and claw and vampire skin and teeth. It is the strongest thing out there_, and it is faster than anything, _even vampire speed; he will not see this coming. The leech won't have the time to run away like the coward he is. And get this- you shoot it directly into his heart and he is dead. Like BAM." I heard the guy, Embry, chuckle with haughty laughter._

"_How does that work?" Jacob sounded amused now, and a bit hopeful._

"_Well, you know that a vampire's heart is harder than diamond, right?" I heard a head nod. "Well, this bullet is harder than that."_

_Silence._

"_So what do you think, Jake?"_

"_I think that I need to be nicer to Leah, and that is_ me _saying that." It was true, from what I heard, Jacob and Leah didn't get along very well; he couldn't stand to be inside her head when they were both wolves. Being this interested in werewolves, I knew some things; werewolves' lives were like a soap opera._

_I almost blew my cover when a giggle almost escaped my lips._

"_Wow." Embry seemed stricken. "This will make it even better for you. She doesn't want payment this time; all Leah wants is for you to hit this directly into his heart, and the bullet will do the rest. She wants this bloodsucker gone just as much as you do."_

_Uh, oh. This doesn't sound good._

"_No payment? Huh. Well, I want the leech gone, so I will go in a few days. I was planning to do it at the festival; that way, there will be more witnesses." Witnesses? What does this guy care about witnesses for? Strange werewolf._

_Another silent giggle. I swear, I haven't giggled this much in years- literally._

"_Ha, ha. I just hope you don't get caught, dude, Billy would be so pissed, Jake. I have a feeling he isn't going to like this one bit when he finds out."_

"_My dad isn't going to find out. Only you, me, and Leah know, and by the time I kill the damn leech it will be too late for any of them to try to stop me." I could hear the smile in his voice, and it made me sick. What was the festival that he was going to? More importantly, who was he going to shoot?_

"_All right then, man. Umm, Leah doesn't have much faith in your aim… so she made this bullet to where the only thing that will make it explode is a vampire's heart- directly. If you happen to miss"_

"_I won't."_

"_I don't doubt you, Jake, but Leah does. So if you happen to miss, it won't explode. If everything goes well and you hit him directly in the heart, he will burst into flames, and like I said, this bullet is faster than anything; Leah made sure it was. The guy won't survive."_

_It was ominously quiet for a few moments and then Jacob Black broke the silence; his voice clearly implied the hatred he was feeling and the satisfaction he would have in the near future…_

"_Goodbye, Edward Volturi."_

-

Wow.

One thing was certain… Those werewolves want Edward Volturi dead. Why they want to kill Aro Volturi's son was beyond me. Sure, he was an unbelievable jackass from what I had heard about him, but that wasn't usually calling for a murder

Those werewolves were going to go down, I knew. There was no way that Aro, or anyone involved with the Volturi, was going to allow the murderers of his only son, and their "royal prince", to walk free; he would destroy them and anyone else that was involved, and Aro doesn't do anything without his guard- he would have lots of help.

There would be a serious amount of death. _Serious_.

The Volturi kill first and ask the questions… never. I had never heard of a time that the Volturi had had mercy on an individual or stopped to hear their side of things.

The Volturi are always right. Or that's what they think. They are the kind of vampires that drink human blood and don't care who knows it. Though most vampires drink from humans, most vampires don't flaunt that fact, and most vampires don't feed as often as they do. Volturi Royals probably feed at least once a week.

Don't misunderstand, the Volturi are very, very careful not to let humans in on the fact of vampires' existence. In fact, if you are a vampire and you expose other vampires, the Volturi will wipe you out. Secrecy is their number one priority.

That is another reason that the Volturi will kill the werewolves once Edward Volturi is dead. In the conversation I had overheard, Jacob Black had said that he was planning to shoot Edward during the festival. I still didn't know the festival to which he was referring, but I knew that festivals tend to have a lot of people present, human people, at that.

If the stupid idiot Jacob was successful in his attempt to kill Edward, it would draw attention. Unwanted attention, at that, and lots of it. A large, un-put-out-able fire doesn't just spread itself onto a human like what Embry was describing was going to happen. It would be mass chaos.

Vampires would be revealed at some point, somehow. That would be beyond bad.

I watched what could happen and what would be sure to unfold during this time. In my head, I saw that there would be death upon death, murder upon murder. There would be like a mini-war or something. If the werewolf was stupid enough and happened to get angry and changed in the middle of humans, then the humans would then know about werewolves _and_ vampires.

I could not allow this to happen, I knew.

I wasn't sure exactly what I planned to do, but I needed to think of something and I needed to think fast.

There was always the fact that I could sit back and do nothing. Tempting. It wasn't my business what these two "bad boys" got into. But there was something inside me, core-deep, that made me realize that I couldn't take back the fact that I had murdered my parents, but there was something I could do about this.

I could follow Jacob Black to Volterra, Italy, but that would probably not turn out well with Esme or Carlisle. Or I could stop Jacob from boarding the plane. I could talk some sense into him and he would realize that murder was not the best option after all.

It was settled; I would catch the wolf on his way to the airport and I would convince him that this was not the way that he really wanted to go with this. I started to think of an actual plan, but then I realized that I still had no idea what festival he would be going to. I also didn't know what day he would be leaving. There were lots of things I didn't know and many things that would need to be considered…

I decided to try to find out what festival he was going to attend in Volterra…

Wait.

Oh, no.

Jacob had said that he would be going in a few days! The Saint Marcus Festival would be occurring in a few days! I feel like an imbecile, a complete and total idiot! How could I not see this coming?

Of course he would be going to that particular festival! More humans go to that shindig than any other party that is held in Volterra! It all made sense now! But the festival is on Thursday… Today is Monday! Oh, no.

xxxxxxx

I skipped school on Tuesday.

This made me very happy, and I didn't imprint another hole in my wall with the alarm clock.

That was good.

xxxxxxx

I, of course, skipped school today as well.

_And now I am in _this _pickle_. Ugh.

After the last day and a half of planning, I had invented an official plan. It wasn't all that complex, and I could have easily created the scheme within five minutes, but what fun would that be? And plus, I needed the extra sleep during these past two days so that once I came face-to-face with the werewolf, I would be able to talk to him more efficiently…?

Okay. You got me. I skipped school. Don't judge. After 52 years of high-schooling, I know more information on WWII than my history teacher; Mr. Wat J. Wood (pronounced "Mr. What"). I really love Mr. Wat; he makes me giggle especially 'cause his name sounds like a question…

Giggles.

Okay, this is just weird. I never giggle. Well, I never giggle outside Mr. Wat's classroom. There is something seriously wrong with me.

I know there is something seriously wrong with me not only because I just internally giggled, but because of the fact that my "super plan" failed.

That's right. I took a midday nap and I was late to the airport to try to talk Jacob Black out of going to kill someone. Only _I_ would sleep through a very important day like this. Do not hire me to be a secret operative; I might wake the enemy with my snores.

Yes, I snore. Have a problem? Go talk to my daddy Charlie. That's right, go die.

I am in a severely pissed-off mood so, sorry.

"Why are you being so cranky?" That is what you are asking me? Well, I am not on my period, so you can just clear those thoughts away. I will explain to you why I am so angry with one sentence:

It is Wednesday, and I am sitting next to Jacob Black in seat D4, on an airplane going to Italy.

I can't bring up that I am going to make him rethink his position on murder right now; we are on a plane, in the air, and if he gets mad and changes to a wolf on an airplane…

There would be blood.

Ugh, my plan seemed so full-proof. Well, maybe it didn't seem that way at all, but I was very sure that it was going to work! Ugh. Now I have to sit by his stinky buttocks all the way to Italy! Do you know how far Italy is from Washington? It is… very, very far away! Too far for me to sit by a stinky werewolf… He takes up_ way_ too much space. But he is cute. Very. He looks like a really, really tall and beefed-up version of Taylor Lautner.

He_ is _spicy, but in no way my type. At all.

He is just sitting there. I can see that the gun is in his right pocket though I have no clue how he was able to smuggle it onto the plane. He probably used some un-Godly means, including his "bad boy" talk. It was a female. Do the math.

I boarded the plane after him, and almost missed take-off. I've no clue as to how I got the seat directly next to him. Another reason that I can't talk to the guy is that an old guy with a nametag reading "J. Jenks" is sitting next to me. So I am in the middle of a stinky werewolf and an old businessman who keeps looking at me. _Staring_ would be the correct term.

Ugh, Jacob took the window seat. I have only ever ridden a plane once, and I got the window seat! I want my window seat!

To top it all off, I had not had time to pack for the plane trip! I had grabbed my wallet- thank goodness Carlisle is rich- and ran to the airport. I would be wearing faded skinny jeans and a midnight blue halter top with matching converses for several days. Ewww.

xxxxxxx

One thing is for certain, there are a lot of people in Italy.

We exited the plane about an hour ago. We left Forks midday yesterday and now it is 3:00 A.M, in the frigging morning, and I am in Volterra, Italy. I slept throughout most of the plane ride. Jacob Black and I did not speak a word to each other, and this was absolutely fine with me. Though, I did feel a bit uncomfortable when I noticed that he and J. Jenks were both staring at me. _Frequently_.

It was hard not to know that there was a festival today. All over Italy, there were signs reminding people that the Saint Marcus Festival would be occurring in Volterra at 11:00 A.M. later today.

Even after sleeping almost the whole way here, I rented a hotel room and set the alarm for 9:00. I wasn't planning to get up too early. Jacob Black had rented a room here too, so this way I could talk to him in the morning before he left for the festival.

_This _plan would work.

xxxxxxx

_That_ plan didn't work.

I had been woken up at the time that I had set, dressed back into these clothes (Ewww), and gone to Jacob's room, only to find that a maid was cleaning his room! I asked the nice little lady where he had gone, and she said that she "didn't keep up with the whereabouts of the hotel guests".

My only guess would be that he went out to eat a _very large_ breakfast somewhere (werewolves need an entire McDonald's worth of food) and that he would be at the parade in time to see his target and take his shot.

This wasn't good.

Did I mention that you don't need to hire me as a secret operative? Well, don't.

Xxxxxxx

Wow.

It looks… nice.

I had just gotten to the main part of the festival, the heart of it all, the place that all the action would be happening. Oh, and I mean _action._ Someone is going to be shot here. A very important, undead person is going to be shot here.

Of course, none of the Volturi will be in the sunlight. They aren't stupid, like I said before. They can't just waltz in front of such a large group of humans in direct sunlight. Did I mention that vampires sparkle? They sparkle. _They sparkle_!

They _get _to sparkle. I just glow. My skin doesn't look like tiny diamonds are embedded into it; it takes on a glow that spreads over me (totally not as cool as sparkles). My effect from the sun is still something that humans shouldn't see, so I will be staying in the shade. Although my glowing is subtle, I can't take a chance of being seen. It would completely ruin the whole point of my being here in the first place.

_I need to find the werewolf_.

It is 10:55.

Something makes me think that Jacob is going to shoot Edward at 11:00 on the dot. I need to find Jacob Black, and quickly.

I looked up to see a group of vampires, all males, in dark black cloaks, standing in the shade under a tree; they were staring at me. I didn't see any of their faces clearly, but I saw the blood-red eyes.

Volturi. If it was the guard, I wasn't sure; I couldn't see anything, or hear anything. I was standing in the sun at the time, so I took this as my cue to get into the shadows. I looked back to the group of men, and some of them were still staring at me; others were looking anywhere but.

I decided that they weren't really staring at me. It was rather silly to think that they would be. This is their festival, after all, and they are probably just taking in the scenery. I am rather paranoid right now anyways because I know what is going to happen in… 3 minutes, if I don't find the werewolf.

Uh, oh.

Dawning on me, now, was the realization that I couldn't find Jacob Black. Edward Volturi is going to die. I can't do anything to stop it…

I looked around, frantic. I had to at least try to see him in this crowded street, do whatever I can.

As I was frantically searching my eyes saw the cluster of vampires, Jacob Black, and Edward Volturi in a sexy black cloak surrounded by admiring girls.

Jacob Black!

Edward Volturi!

I looked to the place that I had seen Edward, and I saw that he was shooing away the girls; he looked like he wasn't in the mood for _that kind_ of company, at the moment, anyway. He started to look around the street, searching for something. His eyes fell on mine and I quickly looked away; he was about to be shot!

Jacob Black was just taking out the special gun when I ran, with all the fire I could run with, to Edward. I wasn't sure what I was going to do exactly. I was about ten meters away from him when I saw that Jacob was aiming at him now.

I made a large leap, not sure if I would make it… There was noise. A loud noise. The gun had gone off!

I was a foot away now, still in the air, mid-jump, and I landed gracefully (that never happens) directly in front of Edward Volturi.

"No!"

…There was pain.

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**A/N: Even more excited for writing the next chappy! Yey! **

**Review it… 8-)**


	3. Being Doctored

**A/N: This chappy is going to be so amazing to write! I am so excited! To be honest, I have no idea what will happen after this chapter… HELP ME! Maybe something will come to me…**

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to say that I don't own Twilight and that Stephenie Meyer is the master creator of it? Really? Fine. I don't own Twilight and Stephenie Meyer is the master creator of it. Happy? Well, you never are.**

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**_I made a large leap, not sure if I would make it… There was noise. A loud noise. The gun had gone off!_

_I was a foot away now, still in the air, mid-jump, and I landed gracefully (that never happens) directly in front of Edward Volturi._

"_No!"_

…_There was pain._

_

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_**3. Being Doctored **

I suppose I hadn't been too observant when I was looking through the crowd because I didn't see the master staircase to the immediate left of Edward Volturi. I had just landed gracefully, and immediately following this impossible fact, I had a moment of my usual, everyday clumsiness.

Right now, I am tripping over the first of many steps down the very long, ornately decorated staircase that leads to the Volturi Castle's basement.

These stairs are hard. I can feel my bones breaking as I fall from each one; I can still feel the sunshine from above as I fall. How long are these dang stairs? How many have I gone down?

I just keep falling, bouncing. I have perfect hearing, like a vampire, so I can hear what is going on above as I fall.

"Did that poor girl just get shot? Oh my, someone needs to help her! Oh my!" I heard a human woman scream over the loud commotion. Who had been shot?

"That girl just saved Edward Volturi!" A vampire man said.

"There is no way she survived that." It was a cool vampire voice who had said it, and his voice made me feel like I was in a shivering pool of water during winter (unlikely right now because it is an extremely warm, summer day outside).

"Did that _human_ seriously just jump in front of a bullet to save a _vampire_? How stupid can someone be? She is gonna die, and the guy wasn't even in danger in the first place."

"Who the shit did I just hit? Damn it! It was supposed to be that bloodsucker!" There was no mistaking who that was.

"Demetri, Alec, get Edward into the Castle now; I do not want any more shots to be fired at him. Even if it won't harm him, the humans whom are present do not need to see a bullet flying off of a being that they believe is a fellow human.

"The female, there, to the left of Edward, as you witnessed, has just jumped in front of a bullet, and now she is tumbling down the stairs." A vampire's voice, no doubt, said calmly and too fast for human ears to someone beside him; he was a lot more relaxed than some of the voices I had heard so far. It sounds like this dude holds a ton of power in his hands.

He continued, "Human or not, whether she knows what we are or not, we mustn't allow someone, who sacrificed her life for my son's, to die, especially in front of so many humans." Oh, so it was Aro Volturi speaking. I wondered why he was going to save me; he wasn't known for his compassion- quite the opposite, actually. But he had mentioned the humans bearing witness; he might not want to ruin his image by letting me die. Thing is, the guy doesn't know I am just as tough as him.

Then something occurred to me:

Oh, crap. I am a female falling down stairs! I tried to save Edward! I got shot! Holy crap.

"Felix, be so kind as to bring Dr. Rein to attend to the female, and would one of you do this woman a favor and catch her before the stairs kill her, if the bullet hasn't already done so. Will another please calm the crowd?" Aro's collected voice said.

"I am not going to waste my time trying to find a doctor for a _human_." It was the nasty, cold voice that I had heard. Felix is his name.

"_I_ have no time, Felix. You and Jasper will grab the shooter, then, and take him to the underground dungeon; steel chains will need to be used to secure him. He is not human. You will pay at a later time for disobeying me, Felix." Aro's voice was ice. "Now, Jane, bring Dr. Rein to me."

The vampire, Jane, grumbled, but she did as she was asked. I wouldn't dare go against Aro Volturi either. Shiver.

I heard louder commotion above me, but I wasn't concentrating on the individual sounds anymore; the pain was becoming the forefront thing on my mind.

Bump after bump on the stairs, crack after crack on my joints and in my bones. It seems that there is no end to the pain. Each bruise that I had received from the previous stair began to throb, only to be doubled on the next stair. And so it continued.

It was a mystery to me how many stairs I had gone down; it could have been three or ten or fifty. However many there were, all of them hurt. I hate pain.

I could have been falling forever, or it could have been merely seconds. However long it was, it sucked big time. This hurt worse than that time the bumper car threw me into a pile of rocks.

My skin is impenetrable, but that doesn't mean that things don't hurt. My family and I don't really understand it. I mainly have characteristics of vampire in me, but each of these traits has a human trait that sets it backward, making it less than what a vampire's would be. I am the only one of my kind; we know this for a fact, so there is no one that I can ask about information on myself.

All that I know is that nothing can penetrate my skin that can't penetrate a full vampire, but I can feel things like pain that a human would feel.

Before I knew it, and after hours/minutes/seconds of falling down the stairs, I fell into a pair of extremely muscular, cold arms. I had no clue who was holding me, but I knew that this person was one honking beast of a vampire, _seriously_, but he had a very gentle, teddy-bear-like grip on me. For this I was grateful.

"The little human still has a pulse!" The teddy bear said excitedly; he was talking to himself. He seemed genuinely glad that I was still alive. "Hey, can you hear me? Hello? Anyone in that pretty little head of yours?"

He was poking me.

I couldn't talk. Because I was in so much pain, if I tried to speak, I would end up screaming. That would not be good; it would only bury more into the trouble I was already in.

"Come on, you _can't_ be knocked out, silly human, you only fell down ten stairs!" When I didn't respond, the teddy bear started to laugh. He had a booming laugh; it was nice. I don't know why, but I felt safe in this guy's arms. He felt like what a big brother would feel like, if I had one. I always wanted a bigger brother. I would never tell Esme that, though she would want a son, too.

I lied there in the giant arms and stayed as still as possible. I could easily fool vampires into thinking I was asleep; you get a lot of practice when you are as horrid as me and your vampire family frequently decides to come and talk you out of your bottomless pit of disparity in the middle of the night (something that I don't like).

I kept still as the vampire man held me and asked if I would wake up. At one point, he said that he wouldn't bite me and that I could keep my blood if it made me feel better. I almost giggled out loud. I like this guy; he makes me wanna eat cotton candy on a Ferris-Wheel and wear pig tails (if that makes any sense). He really seemed like the big brother I never had.

I felt it when he started to move me. He was walking human pace down the rest of the long stairway_. I wonder why he won't just go vamp-speed_, I thought.

After about five minutes we reached the last step. It was dark down in the basement. Then I felt us going up, but he wasn't walking_. I didn't know they had elevators in Volturi Castle_. Hmmm.

"So, little human, why in the world did you save my cousin?" His cousin? Edward is my brother's cousin? Why am I calling this guy my brother?

"You know, no other vampire would have been able to carry you. You smell too good for your own good. Yours is the most delicious smell ever, human. Jasper would have sucked you dry by now." He started with his booming laughter again. Why is he talking to an unconscious person?

"But if you can keep my dirty little secret," he was singing _Dirty Little Secret_ by _The All-American_ _Rejects_, "You saved my cousin. He is a huge pain in the ass, but he is like a brother to me, and you saved him. I couldn't eat you after that, no matter how good you smell. Don't ever tell him that I went soft 'cause I _will _eat you then, human."

More booming laughter. I wished I could tell him my name so that he would stop calling me "human". Not only am I not a human, but I have an actual name, no matter how awful a name it is.

I heard the doors of the elevator slide open and then we went into a door that was already opened. I could sense that there were at least five people in the room. Not people, vampires.

"Ah, Emmett, thank you for bringing the girl." So my brother's name is Emmett. Name fits.

"That is a lot of blood." It was the cold voice from earlier, except now it wasn't cold; it was filled with longing. For my blood probably. My blood is a mixture of human and vampire scent, both of which are very strong and delicious smelling. Just to shorten this, I am not in a good position right now; my blood would be the best thing that any of these vampires had ever had.

"Back off of my silly human, Felix." Emmett sounded threatening. He called me his "silly human". How cute is that?

What is happening to me? Well I will adopt this man as my older brother now.

I shall call him my "vampire-silly-older-brother" and he shall be mine. He shall be my "vampire-silly-older-brother". _Ha, ha, ha_.

Okay, seriously need to lay off the _Finding Nemo_ DVD for a while. I have _Finding Nemo_ issues.

"_Your_ human?" Felix sounded cold again, and a little amused.

"Yes, _my_ silly human. If you touch her pretty little ass, I will personally have to tear yours apart and there shall be flames, man." I have a pretty butt? A little one?

Whatever and yeah right.

"You do have one thing right, moron, she _does _have a hot butt." Felix was just asking for trouble now. I mean, Emmett feels _huge_. He could tear lots of things apart.

"Oh, man, you better just be glad I am holding her right now."

"Yeah, you are _holding_ her all right." _Can anyone say "awkward"_, I thought. I had to admit that it was sort of flattering, but they were just comparing pride.

"Enough," Aro said in a low voice.

It was silent for a few beats and then the girl, Jane, came in and addressed Aro, "I found Rein. He is coming."

"Alright, Jane, thank you. Go find a nice human to snack on.

"But-"

"Go, Jane." So she wanted to stay? Why?

I heard Jane run vampire speed out of the room. I listened to her running steps until I couldn't hear them anymore.

"Well, well, when Jane said that a 'little, stupid human girl got herself shot' I didn't know that it was not a 'little' girl. In fact, this girl looks to be about Edward's age, maybe a little younger. Not as old as Jasper or Emmett and not as young as Alec…

"Definitely not little." I could feel Dr. Rein's eyes roaming over my body. "That is a lot of blood."

"That's what I said, Rein." Of course, it was Felix. Does the guy ever shut up, I mean, really? "And I also agree with you that she is hot and in no way a _girl_."

He better have been inferring that I am a woman and not a girl 'cause if that guy is calling me a man, he will go down. I am a lot of things, but a _man_ is not one of them.

"I never said she was hot." The way that Dr. Rein said it made it clear that he was ending that discussion.

"Emmett, could you put her on the bed, please, carefully." It was a statement, not a question. This doctor has power, too. Like Aro.

I felt really, really comfortable sheets moving beneath me as Emmett placed me carefully on the bed. How could someone so big be so gentle? I tried to keep up the façade and look like I was passed out.

I almost jumped up and ran when I felt smooth, cold hands touching my chest. It made some of the pain from the bullet go away, and that was nice, but it was also very uncomfortable. Then he started to rub his hands over my forehead.

"This is not possible."

"What is it, Rein?" It was Aro, and he sounded very interested in what would astound this doctor.

"Aro, this is not possible. She is a human. This isn't-"

"Perhaps she is not human."

"She has to be. What else could she be?"

"An angel." This was a different voice than what I had heard today. It was childlike.

"Alec, angels do not exist." This was Felix, of course, the ultimate talker. _So Alec is a child? That is just strange. Didn't they, like, extinct out the vampire children?_

"She has certain… beauty attributes of an angel." Alec argued. His voice may be pitched to sound like a child, but he is very wise-sounding. _Weird_. This whole place is weird; _I gotta get out_.

"I have met an angel, and she may look like one, but she is not one." Dr. Rein sounded amused by Alec and Felix's argument.

"I think she is a pretty silly human; I mean, she jumped in front of a bullet to save my stupid cousin who won't die, 'cause his pride won't let him." One guess who that is? Anyone?

Everyone decided to ignore that statement. I bet if Edward was actually here he would do something about what Emmett said and he would prove just how "bad" he is. I think he is pretty stupid. Not Emmett, never Emmett; he couldn't be stupid, though, he could act pretty stupid.

"The bullet went directly into her heart. Directly."

Really? That must be why it is putting me through a hell of a lot of pain. Too bad aspirin won't work. Ugh.

"But how can she still be alive? Humans tend to die once you take out one of their main organs, dude." Felix sounded confused. It was a nice sound. I'm glad my pain puts him out of his sarcastic comments, though I make a lot of those too. I am really getting tired of Felix's remarks; I've kinda had it up to here.

"Don't call me 'dude'. I am not your friend. I do not like you," Rein said. I was beginning to like this doctor more and more.

"And she still has her heart; it just has a bullet in it at the moment."

Then, "my doctor" did something that really, really hurt: He used his claws and pulled the bullet out of me.

I did my best not to move. I must have done a pretty good job because none of the vamps pointed out that I was awake. But man, it hurt like nothing ever could.

My breathing became uneven and rugged, but it wasn't me doing that. I guess the bullet was what was keeping my lungs and heart working after the whole it made in me, but now that it's gone, I can't breathe.

I slipped slowly into an almost unconscious state.

I could still hear voices perfectly, but I felt like I was dreaming. The loss of oxygen was overwhelming my body to where it couldn't function. I no longer had to pretend that I was passed out, because I was right on the edge of it; my body was already too weak to move.

"Hey, why did you do that," Emmett didn't sound too happy, "What if she had been awake?"

"She isn't. Well, I don't know if she is, but she is showing all the signs of being asleep." Dr. Rein sounded a little flustered.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" This voice was unfamiliar. I guess it was just another vampire that I didn't know, in the room with a very bloody human with an exposed chest. Nice. Good thing I wore a bra.

"Well, I can't feel her brainwaves, but she is breathing slowly and she is not talking. Common sense says that she is sleeping. And after being shot I can't blame her. It is probably better for her that she can't-"

"What do you mean?" Several voices said.

"How are you unable to feel her brainwaves? You felt her head, Rein." It was the unfamiliar voice again. He sounded very frustrated.

"For some reason, I was able to feel her heart vibrations and lung movement, but I couldn't feel her brain movement. She may be brain-dead, but I think that that is very unlikely as she was hit in her heart and not her head-"

"Is there something wrong with her head?" The voice was still frustrated, and if it was possible, a little threatening.

"I just told you that I do not know." Rein was matching his tone with the other man's. "Why are you so interested? You can read her mind. Is it working properly or is it not functioning correctly?"

The last part sounded like it _wasn'_t talking about my head.

"Yeah, why are _you _asking? Ha, ha, ha. You are the 'master-mind-reader' here." Emmett's laughter boomed throughout the large room, bouncing off the walls.

"I..read..mind," the unknown man's voice mumbled. He clearly didn't want to be heard. Rein seemed to know what the man had said, though, and something occurred to me.

"You can't read her mind? Really? Well, now we know that something is wrong, but it might not be with her mind, Edward." Rein seemed to be taking joy in this fact.

"Nothing is wrong with me. She is a freak. You can't read her brainwaves, and I bet father won't be able to hear anything, either," Edward scoffed.

Edward Volturi. He can't read my mind? And how would Rein be able to feel brainwaves? Is that his ability, to feel… organ function?

Huh.

_This place just keeps getting weirder_, I thought.

"Now, son, don't base my power on the failures of yours and Rein's." Aro was playfully scolding, but there was no mistaking the force behind the words.

"If I touch her I will know-"

"Aro, you might consider waiting until she is awake to touch her. It would be polite to wait for her consent," Rein said.

"Of course, of course."

"If you can, when do you estimate that she might wake up, Dr. Rein?" If you can believe it, this was another voice that I didn't recognize. _How many vamps are in here_? Are they all men?

"It is very strange, Demetri, she is healing a speedy rate." Rein placed his hand over my wound, touching the corners with his fingers.

"What does that mean?" Demetri asked.

"It means that she is getting better really fast, Stupid." Felix said.

"_It means_ that she heals faster than a normal human. I may be wrong, but I believe that she will be fully healed within the next day and a half- two days tops." Dr. Rein sounded pretty confident, but I don't think that he has ever been in the situation where he didn't know the exact answer on his patient's condition.

I don't think he would know anything about me.

I'm sure he wouldn't.

"So my estimate is that she will wake up in the early morning sometime."

"What do we need to do?" Emmett asked. I'm not really sure what he meant.

Aro seemed to answer my unspoken question.

"Our shooter needs to tell us some information. You, Felix, Jasper- possibly Alec and Jane, if it comes to that- will be in charge of getting the answers.

"I want to know _what_ he is and _why_ he tried to kill my son. Ask him if he knows what we are. _Information is key._ Make him talk.

"Do not tell him whom he shot. Do not tell him anything. We will deal with that when the human girl wakes.

"Go."

I heard a few pairs of shuffling footsteps leave the room, and then I felt air in my ear. It was a voice I didn't expect to hear, especially with such menacing words;

"I will make sure this guy suffers," Alec whispered.

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**A/N: The next chapter will be interesting.**

**Review.**


	4. The Interrogation

**IMPORTANT!!!**

**I have added a whole lot to the end of this chapter and all throughout it, so you need to read it through again to know certain things for future reference. Also, I changed my summary of this story so don't freak out. 8-)**

**A/N: I started thinking about the layout of this chapter and I came up with this. I am very happy about it and I am excited to begin writing it. I truly adore this story, so more reviews would be nice; I want to see that my readers appreciate it as much as I do.**

**Disclaimer: You can write your own stories. You can read Twilight. But you can't write Twilight. Well, I can't. Stephenie Meyer holds that honor.**

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**"_Do not tell him whom he shot. Do not tell him anything. We will deal with that when the human girl wakes._

"_Go."_

_I heard a few pairs of shuffling footsteps leave the room, and then I felt air in my ear. It was a voice I didn't expect to hear, especially with such menacing words;_

"_I will make sure this guy suffers," Alec whispered._

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_**4. The Interrogation  
**

It could have been hours since I heard Alec's words, but I think it was only a few minutes. Time seems to mess with you when you are putting the façade of unconsciousness on for so long. None of the vampires were in the room anymore, but I was still feeling strange from the pain of having the bullet taken out of me; it felt like my mind was fully awake, but my body was asleep.

I was starting to feel thirsty. It had been only several days since I had fed, but the effort that my body was taking to heal was making me hungry. When I decided to make my consciousness known, I would need to find a way to sneak out and feed.

I'd been thinking, and I decided to try and leave as soon as possible. It would be the best thing to do. I didn't want any of these vamps to know anything about me. I didn't want to tell them my name or what I am, nothing. I especially didn't want to talk about why I had saved Edward Volturi.

There were so many possible reasons why I saved him.

I didn't want a scene to take place, and I didn't want innocent people, humans, to die because of this awful feud between werewolves and vampires. I didn't want a war to rage out among the werewolves and the vampires. I didn't want the only man alive that shared the exact power that my father had had, to die; I saved him for sentimental reasons. I did it to try to make my helpless excuse for an existence worth at least one possible act of goodness.

_So many reasons_.

My earlier plans for Volterra hadn't worked out well. Well, they hadn't worked at all.

So I decided just to wing-it from now on. I would just go with whatever happened and I would be out of here before you could say "just keep swimming".

The vampires had all left my "healing room" at different times. Emmett, Felix, Jasper, and Alec had all gone to interrogate Jacob Black a few minutes previous.

I had figured out that Caius and Marcus were both in the room with Aro, and the three of them had returned to the festival. Apparently, they were still keeping up the pretense that everything was fine; they would probably need to explain about "the girl who had gotten shot to save Edward Volturi, the vampire that can't die".

But the humans wouldn't know that.

And the vampires thinking about that wouldn't know that the bullet would have actually killed Edward if it had hit his heart, and the bullet was indeed aimed there- directly. Jacob Black made it so, but the vamps don't know that either.

Hence the reason I am lying in the Volturi Castle because I got myself shot in the heart.

I guess that happens when you save a life.

Demetri had been in the room and he and Edward left to go and watch the interrogation of Jacob.

How nice.

I mean, I know that the guy tried to _kill_ Edward Volturi, but making him go through the torture of Jane is just plain cruel. I wouldn't let my mind explore Alec's gift, or what he had said to me; he was too gentle, too sweet, and too young.

And for them to want to watch…!

That is just awful. No doubt that Aro, Marcus, and Caius would be there to witness some of it as well.

Humph.

With my sensitive half-vampire hearing, I could hear clearly everything from the dungeon where they were keeping Jacob Black. This room wasn't far from there.

Jacob had been yelling about who he was supposed to have killed- Edward Volturi. He was asking who was stupid enough to jump into his line-of-fire; he knew that it was a female (he had used some choice language). Mostly, he was just cursing everything and everyone.

Dr. Rein had been the last to leave my temporary room. He hadn't said anything to me, as I was not awake to hear him. He had taken the bullet with him, to throw it away.

Goodbye, evidence.

No one would ever know that I had literally saved Edward's life. And it was better that way… Wasn't it? It had to be.

So here I was, alone in this room in a very, very comfortable bed with pain shooting through my upper body. My lungs were still smushed so it was still hard for me to breathe correctly; my breathing was still ragged.

"Dammit, will someone get me out of here? It reeks like leeches!"

Jacob was still ranting on. It won't be pretty if this is how he is pre-torture. He has some serious stuff coming to him if he doesn't know what Jane and Alec can do. I honestly hope he tells Emmett, Felix, and Jasper what they want to know. The alternative won't do anything good for him, and I am in no shape to listen to torture, not now, not ever.

"Yo, leeches, let me out of here! Hey, bloodsuckers! I am (insert word) talking to you! Don't you (insert word) ignore me, you life-draining (insert word and add 's').

This guy has a mouth. Wow.

"Oh be quiet, you _idiot_," Emmett's voice said. So now the torture begins? How fun. Not. I can't believe I am thinking this but, _poor Jacob Black_.

"Look who is talking, stupid moron."

"Hey, how do you know he is stupid and a moron?" Oh, here goes Felix again. Yey. No.

"Yeah, dude… Wait. Hey! I am not a moron, Felix; at least I don't have a pet cat's name!" Emmett sure sounded like a moron at the moment. My poor teddy-bear brother; he is not smart. Oh well, this is coming from a slow, klutzy girl that falls over everything and laughs at jokes five minutes later…

"You are both idiots, and you, sir, are an almost-murderer," Jasper said, "You tried to kill my cousin, but what you don't know is-"

"We aren't supposed to tell him anything, Jazz," Emmett reminded him.

"I wasn't going to, Em, but thanks for the reminder, bro." So Emmett and Jasper are brothers? I guess that means that "Jazz" is my brother, too. I can dig it.

Did I honestly just say that?

_This place is messing with me. Seriously, I gotta get out. Pronto._

"But like I was saying, what you don't know is that we are here to get information from you. You will willingly give us what we want." Jasper sounded menacing.

"Or you are gonna be seriously troubled, stinky. That's right, dude. _You stink worse than you think we do_," Well, Felix did have a point there, but the smell wasn't as bad for me as it was to full vampires.

"Yeah, freak, I am gonna give _you_ what _you_ want. Right. How about you give me what I want? Let me out of here."

"I am sorry, but we cannot do that-"

"I'm not sorry," Alec's voice came in.

"And who are you, _child_?"

"I am older than you are, as a matter of fact, and I am the one who is going to make sure you tell us what we want to know. We are on direct orders from Ar-"

"Aro Volturi? Yeah, I bet you are, seeing as I just tried to kill his son less than an hour ago, and some stupid girl jumped in front of me. Speaking of, who did I shoot? What-"

"We aren't telling you anything, dude," Emmett said in a "duh" voice. He was just so cute protecting me like this.

"Stop, idiots, we have to ask him stuff," Felix stated. Clearly, he was ready for the torture to begin. I bet he didn't want Jacob to willingly give answers; he probably wanted to watch Jane and Alec get the answers…

"Right."

"Oh yeah."

"So, what is your name?"

"My name is none of your dam-" Jacob was cut off by a really sharp sound. I think he just got bitch-slapped by Alec. That is so cute, and _weird._

"I am going to ask you again, what is your name?" Alec asked.

"I am not telling you because it is n-"

This time, I could tell that Emmett had kicked him in the gut. Another sharp sound rang through the castle, along with Jacob's sharp growl. _I wonder if he will transform_.

Uh oh.

"This is the easiest question you will get, so I think it would be in your best interest to answer me," Alec spoke, "What is your name?"

"Kiss my as-"

"_What is your name!_"

"Wh-Why can't I see?! Hey! I can't hear! Hello! I can't… I can't- What the-" Jacob actually sounded frightened.

The real torture has begun, I suppose, but still no transformation. Maybe the new werewolf has more control over his anger than I originally gave him credit for.

"What. Is. Your. Name?" Alec had taken his "effect" off of Jacob, and he now had his full senses back.

"Jacob. I-It's Jacob-"

"Jacob what?"

"Jacob Black." He was reluctant to give his name, but the alternative would be much worse for him.

"Is he telling the truth? Can you sense him lying, Jasper?" Alec asked.

"His name is Jacob Black," Jazzy- Wait. Jazzy? I guess that is my nickname for Jasper. Huh.- Jasper assured Alec.

"_Jacob_, what are you?"

"I am not saying a dam- Wait. I can't- I can't see! Hey! Uh…" Jacob was on the verge of tears, I could tell, but his voice was still husky and full of his darn pride. I know the guy shot me, but honestly, no one deserves this.

"What are you, Jacob?"

"I. Am…" Jacob was struggling to talk through trying to be a man and sobbing, "Not telling you a damn thing."

"You really need to tell us," Jasper said. I knew that Jazzy had the ability to sense emotions and give emotions out, so I knew that he was throwing waves of defeat toward Jacob.

"What the hell are you, man?" Emmett asked.

"No!" Jacob said forcefully in his deep voice; the tears and sobbing were gone, momentarily.

"I think you will tell _me_."

Jane.

"OH MY GO-"

"What are you, Jakey?" Jane said in her sickly sweet voice. She didn't give him time to answer her.

"OH FU-"

"Jakesies, tell me what you are!" Jane hit him with some more shock. It wasn't really happening to him; it was only in his head, but he was reacting to it with the effect that they had wanted. Jane was having fun.

She was smiling, I bet. Sadistic, evil little girl. Well, I am one to talk, huh?

"OHMYFU-I can't see! Ouch! OH GO-"

"What are you, Jacob Black?" Alec and Jane asked in synchronization. Okay, freaky much? I'd say so.

"I-I'm a werewolf." He was defeated.

"Is he telling the truth, Jazzy?" Oh no, she does NOT have the same nickname for Jasper as me! That is purely awful! It's just wrong!

"He is."

"Very good, doll. Now… Why did you try to shoot my Eddie?"

"Because he is a leech! OUCH! DAMMI-"

"That wasn't very nice, Jakesies." She was smiling again, it was in her voice, "Now tell me why you really tried to shoot my-"

"Yeah, why did you try to kill my cousin, dude?" Emmett sounded pissed.

"He is a vampire."

"He is telling the truth."

"Well we know that, idiot," Felix interjected.

"Boys, stop it."

Is it legal to use a sweet voice when you are the devil? I mean, I don't have a sweet voice for a reason, too much sarcasm dripping on the syllables.

"He is a vampire. I am a werewolf. We are sworn enemies, and you should all know that, stupid bloodsucking mother fu-."

"I have heard that," Alec added.

"…Yeah. So let me go. I didn't kill him."

"We are just getting started, Mr. Black," Jasper said, "Will you cooperate, or will we need to keep Jane and Alec?"

"… I- I am going to… cooperate." It sounded like his ego was deflating. That's a good thing. Maybe one thing will help him from this, but I highly doubt it.

"Good. You are excused, Jane." So Jasper doesn't like Jane, either? That makes me happy because I _honestly_ despise her. How can anyone take pleasure in hurting someone else? And for her to be so young… I was young, but I didn't enjoy the pain I inflicted and _Jane_ does.

She even got a pretty name!

"Come, Alec-"

"I am staying."

"Then I will stay, too-"

"Go."

"Fine. I will go and see Aro."

With that, the devil walked away.

"Jacob, why did you try to kill Edward and not any other vampire? There were plenty at the festival. Why here? Why today? Tell us the story," Jasper said in his country-boy, southern-bread accent.

"Edward Volturi is important here, probably one of the most important _things_ in the world. Killing him would send a message of war from the wolves to you leeches. Edward Volturi is Aro Volturi's son. It would most definitely start a war, and the wolves would win. There would be more witnesses today than any other day, so the father would have no choice but to rage a war."

Jacob was defeated. He would put up no more of a fight than I would right now, but it seemed he still had some rebellion in him.

"And I hate him. He should die." Well, Jacob wasn't completely beaten, but he was a complete and total idiot. Stupid boy, putting his pride before his well-being.

Just then, I heard the familiar sound that I had heard only a few days before; Jacob was changing to his wolf form.

"Hold on, guys, I can make him stop."

Suddenly, there was no more ripping of clothes and skin. Jasper is smart.

"I heard that anger is what sets off the werewolf transformation. I sent him calming waves; he won't change as long as I am here," Jasper said.

"Dude, that is totally smart, broth-"

"Thanks, Emmett."

"I hate to break up this beautiful moment, but-"

"Oh, whatever, you know you want to be a part of this brotherly love! Get in here, Kitty!"

Does teddy have a death wish?

"Call me a kitty again."

"KIT-"

"You know that we are vampires," Alec said above the guy's banter, "So why did you try to shoot Edward with a gun? You knew that it wouldn't kill him. Were you just trying to create a scene to expose us?"

"Nope," Jacob said, popping on the "p". It sounded strange coming from him.

"Then, what were you thinking?"

"Shouldn't your leech-buddy, _Eddie,_ know?"

"Actually, I wasn't paying attention to you, mutt; you aren't as important as you think you are,"

Ah, so _Edward_ has arrived to watch. How _fun_. He should just… leave, and never come back. I honestly don't like his attitude or his big-headedness; it's worse than Jacob's! I started to wonder why I even bothered with saving him, but then I felt guilty. I may not like him, but I don't regret saving a life.

"Nice to see you, leech. It's been a long time. Taken any lives lately?"

"Actually, I just enjoyed myself a nice blonde named Jessica." I heard Edward lick his lips. How awful is that? It's just so… wrong!

"She was delicious, by the way. You should have seen the way she was flirting with me before I drained her; it was quite pathetic… You would know all about _pathetic _wouldn't you, Jacob Black?"

Jacob didn't respond.

"You two know one another?" Aro was here?

"Unfortunately," Edward and Jacob said at the same time. Then, they both scoffed.

"Caius, Marcus, did you know about this?" Oh, all the musketeers are here!

"No."

"How wonderful that you have such a friend." Aro sounded more interested that Jacob was a werewolf than the fact that his only son was friends with a member of a rival species.\

"We are not friends," Edward and Jacob said, together, again. This seemed to irritate them both to no end.

I found it quite interesting.

"Well, there shall be no need for your help now that I can see the answers for myself. You have done well whilst my brothers and I have been attending to the crowd above." Aro was talking to Emmett, Felix, Jasper, and Alec.

Yeah, I know that you know that. Jeeze. Some of us are slow. Do you hear that, Sylvia and Emily? (Sylvia and Emily are stupid preps at my school in Forks) I hate them; they are so stupid, and their brains are made of poopy. The two of them together equal half a dog's brain. It's like they are Twins, but they really aren't.

They are just skank-joint-ho-bags from down under.

I mean, I know it is a little hypocritical because I am slow, too, but the way that they act is just… wrong.

"Ah, I see," Aro said. I suppose he was touching Jacob so that he could read his mind. Why is Jacob letting him? Surely he would put up some sort of fight?

"Well, my brothers, the story is quite interesting."

"Glad you enjoyed it," Jacob said with a smile in his words.

"Nice try_, puppy_, but if you are going to try to kill me in _that_ way you are going to need better aim. I can't always have _female admirers_ getting shot because of their love for me, now can I?"

Oh, no...

He.

Did.

Not…!

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**A/N: This chapter is now completed… Is it good, or what can I improve on? I need your opinions. Any ideas as to what I could write next would be appreciated. Thank you for reading!**

**I love you, Twin. Really, I do. 8-) ... And I hope you laughed, but if you didn't, for whatever reason, I am sorry. NOT REALLY. Love ya. 8-)  
**

**Review.**


	5. My Waking

**AN: Hi… I hope that I haven't lost readers because of my lack of updating. I have had a load of time to think about this story and what I will do with it and I must say that I am happy. I hope that you will enjoy it.**

**I know I have said it before, but I hope that I will be able to update more often. If I don't, I would like to apologize beforehand. **

**I plan to dedicate the rest of this day to writing on this story. Tomorrow I will work on my other one**_**, The Giving Gift**_**.**

**I apologize for any mistakes in this chapter. I am on a different computer and I am not sure how to check for mistakes.**

**

* * *

**"_Nice try_, puppy_, but if you are going to try to kill me in __that__ way you are going to need better aim. I can't always have _female admirers_ getting shot because of their love for me, now can I?"_

_Oh, no..._

_He._

_Did._

_Not…!_

_

* * *

_**5. My "Waking"**

I couldn't help the growl that escaped my lips, no matter how much I tried to contain it. The combined pain of my broken bones from the stairs, the little fact that I had a bullet forcefully removed from my heart, and the anger that I was now feeling towards this monster, Edward Volturi, had led to this one, low growl.

Then, I really did pass out.

xxxxxxx

I had weird dreams. Mostly, I just replayed everything in my head that has happened since Sunday afternoon, but with a twist: Edward Volturi.

He was in the dream with me, commenting on everything…

It was a nightmare.

The last thing I remember before I fell into the deep sleep was him calling me a "female admirer"! How in the entire everythingness-that-is can he think that I admire him? I don't even remotely understand the reason for his existence, for crying out loud!

UGH.

To think, I saved him…

The pain is still unbearable. My breathing is becoming even more labored as my lungs and heart try to mend themselves back. I can feel the bones in my left leg pulling, slowly, back into the position that it should be in. The bones in my hands are doing the same thing.

I hadn't realized, really, how many injuries I had taken_. I must look a real mess right now, not that I care. Why should I care? It's not like I have anyone to look good for… _

Time is passing.

My body is still asleep, but the insides are moving to heal. I have no control. I did manage to wiggle my little toe… I think.

No one is in my room, and I can't hear them anywhere else… I think they must have gone somewhere more private to talk amongst all of the guard, to fill them in on the information extracted from Jacob.

I wonder if they left him to be once Aro pulled the information out of Jake's head… I hope so. I can't believe the emotions I am feeling right now.

I feel pity for Jake, no anger, which is weird of me. I am always angry at something.

The lack of my usual attitude in this moment is most likely due to the fact that I am trapped. Not only am I trapped in my mind and body right now, but I am trapped in this place…

Will they allow me to leave? Do I know too much? Will Aro try to "collect" me because I am different? Will any of these vampires find my secrets...? Will I let them uncover the truth?

So many questions… Do I need the answers? Do I want them?

I fell deeply into my slumber again, too weak to fight.

xxxxxxx

I am such a wussy.

How long have I friggin' been in this place? Days? Years? Merely hours or seconds passed…?

Get up, Bella, it's time to go; time to escape… Come on, now… You can do this…

xxxxxxx

I spent some time trying to get up, but NONE of my degrading comments on how much of a sas and wussy I am would help me to rise. Maybe I don't really want to… I mean, this bed is pretty comfy… I don't even know what my two brothers look like…. And I must admit that I want to thank Dr. Rein for everything he is doing and has done for me

Should I stay or should I go?

_Wussy._

xxxxxxx

During one of the times that I fell into my slumber, Dr. Rein, I assume, came in and placed the tubes and wires and IV that you usually see in movies into my body. The IV is in my left hand; I hate needles. I can feel at least five monitor wires on my chest…

How is it that a vampire doctor has access to all of this equipment?

Okay, now I feel like a total idiot. Carlisle works at a hospital, so it makes sense that Rein and Carlisle have access to this stuff because they can…

I have been awake for a while now. I finally was able to twinkle my toes and make fists with both of my hands. I should be getting up soon.

I'm not tired anymore, just thirsty. That will be my number one priority when I get up; I don't want to slip up and have a human for… breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? What time is it anyways? That is the second thing on my list…

Now I have a list? Do I plan to stay?

No.

I have to get out.

As I thought it, I opened my eyes. No one else was in the room. I slowly got off the bed, sliding. The vampires must be still far away; I can't hear them. I'm good, they won't catch me leaving.

Someone must have taken my shoes and socks off because they are on the floor when I step down. I don't look up yet; the light is still too bright for my eyes.

The IV is making my arm itch so I decide to take it out. When I begin to pull on the tube, a male voice says, "I really don't think you should be doing that."

"SHIT!" I said. I was totally taken by surprise. I looked up and saw the faces of, what I believe to be every voice I had heard that day, save for Jane, thank goodness.

The male vampires are all gorgeous and they are all looking at me, amusement written on most the faces.

"Yes! My silly human is a curser too? Right on!" Emmett cheered. I didn't have to search for the speaker because he was charging at me! I used my vampire/cat-like reflexes to jump out of the way.

"Come on, human, don't be that way." He looked hurt so I smiled sheepishly at him. "Even though I don't think you are a human." My smile vanished. I know that I looked frightened, and this fact annoys me to no end. I hate to show weakness. It's even worse because this is the Volturi that I am standing in the presence of.

"You aren't going to leave are you?" Alec asked. He stepped forward. He looks like a child as much as he sounds like one, but the way he carries himself tells me that he is much wiser in age than he appears.

All I can manage is a nod. I am too freaked out to do much more. This castle is messing with me.

"Please stay." He sounds so sad, but I have to go.

I shake my head.

During this silent exchange, Emmett took chance to get me into a tight hug.

"Gosh, uh, EMMETT!"

"I knew you were awake! I am so smart!"

"That's funny because most of the things that come out of your mouth aren't smart." I was teasing him, and I gave him a wide smile- something I don't ever do.

He looked stunned. I didn't know why.

"What?" I asked him.

"Well, you are much prettier when you are conscious." Emmett said seriously.

"Ha! That could happen." I said. Good. My sarcasm is returning.

It's about this time that I realize my shirt is ripped open and my bra is showing. I struggle around with my eyes to find something to cover myself.

"Here, take this," Rein said and handed me his medical jacket.

"Thank you, Dr. Rein, for everything, but I have to-"

"You were awake." It wasn't a question.

"Mostly."

"How?"

"Well, it was like my body was asleep, but I wasn't. Plus, if I opened my mouth to speak only screams would come out. Ever been shot before, Rein?" I said, not intending to get an answer.

"I didn't live through it."

I just looked at him. Then I bent down to get my socks and my shoes.

"What is your name?" Alec asked.

"If I don't tell you are you going to go all 'I will take away your senses' on me?" It was cruel to say, but at the moment all I wanted was to leave this place.

"No. I save that for werewolves who shoot my angel."

"I am no angel, Alec."

"I think you are."

"You are wrong. I am a murderer and an evil curse."

The vampires in the room just looked at me.

"I must take my leave now." I wanted to sound like I owned the situation when I knew that I clearly didn't.

"Miss, I don't think that is best for you right now."

"You do not know what is best for me. I need to leave now."

"Why?"

"I am hungry." I said absently. I realized too late that this was going in a direction that I didn't want, that I wanted to avoid.

"There is food on the table to your right. We brought it in case you woke up."

I looked at the food. It was definitely made by a human. They have humans who work in the castle, I know. There is a ham sandwich and a glass of milk. I look at it in disgust.

"No thanks."

"Please, you must rest."

"I must feed."

They all looked at me again.

"I mean, I need to, uh, find some, uh, food that I like?" It came out like a question.

"What are you?" An ancient voice asked, Aro.

"A human." I said after a pause.

"Aro Volturi." He extended his hand. I looked at it and tilted my head, then I shook it. Aro looked at me with confusion written clear on his face.

"I am sorry." I told Aro, looking into his eyes.

"I had my doubts that it would work… My curiosity is so hungry… What is your name?"

"It's… Bella."

"Isabella?"

"Please, do not call me that." I jerked my hand away.

"The name suits you, Isa- Bella."

"Just Bella."

"You are unhappy."

"Really?" I said sarcasm dripping from my words.

"I wonder why, is all." He wore question on his face like a mask made just for him.

"I am in a room with many, many male vampires. I am thirsty. I was shot not too long ago trying to save this Jackass." I pointed to Edward Volturi in disgust. "There are many factors to my unhappiness."

"I see."

"Don't even get me started on Felix!"

"Babe, I would love it if you got started on me." He said cockily.

"Yeah you wish, you-"

Emmett punched Felix square in the jaw, but he just smirked.

During this time, I put my socks and shoes on and start to slide towards the door, but I ran into someone.

"Bella… You should calm down. We don't want to hurt you, I promise. We only want to talk."

I closed my eyes as Jasper's calm began to do it's magic.

"Okay."

Emmett came over to me and sat with me on the bed. I thanked him and then I looked to the room at large.

"What is your full name?" Emmett asked.

"Bella Marie."

"Last name?"

"Can't say."

"Why not?"

"Cause."

"Cause why?"

"Just cause."

"This gets us nowhere, Emmett," Aro said amused.

It really is amazing how Emmett and I have the chemistry of a sister and a brother. It seems that I can just talk to him. It isn't a good thing. I am becoming attached. It will make it harder to leave.

"Where did you come from?" Alec asked.

"The United States."

"That is obvious!" Felix said. I ignored him.

"Where in the United States?" Jasper asked.

"Can't say."

"Why?"

"I just can't."

"How, dear Bella, will we get to know you if you insist on keeping us out?" Aro asked.

"There are some things I would rather not discuss." I said emotionlessly. I decided that that would be the best way to answer every question, that way I don't give anything away that I don't want given.

"Please, Isabella." Aro said.

"Don't call me Isabella! It's just Bella."

"Why do you insist on not being called by your name?"

"That is my name."

"I mean your full name, Bella."

I thought a moment and said, "I can't tell you."

"What can you tell us, Bella?" Jasper asked.

"My name is Bella. Sarcasm is a part of my natural speech. I like chocolate. Finding Nemo is my favorite movie ever. I want to leave."

"I hear ya on the sarcasm bit," Emmett playfully said.

I punched him on the arm.

"Ouch, Bella!"

"Sorry, Em."

"How were you able to hurt Emmett just now? How is it that you survived that very fatal bullet wound? How did you spring away from Emmett a few minutes ago? Bella… What are you?" Rein asked.

"I-"

"Can't say," Felix said sarcasticly.

"I am really getting sick of your mouth and all it entails." I said.

"I rather like yours," He taunted.

"Go burn yourself," I said.

"Wow, Bells, that was harsh. I like it!" Emmett cheered.

"You are the only person on the entire planet who encourages my sarcasm, Em. I am touched." I said with a smile.

"Well, uh, yeah." He said stupidly.

"How are you that beautiful?" Rein said in a low tone, not meant to hear.

I just looked down. Realizing that everyone heard him, Rein said, "Bella, please, tell me what you are. I am a doctor. I search for information and your case stumps me."

"I am sorry."

"I know what she is," Felix said.

"Annoyed with you?" Edward said. It was the first time that he talked. He seemed highly amused.

"Not just with him," I said coldly.

Edward and I shared a look. It was more like daggers from my side and cockiness from his.

"You are so infuriating, Bella!" Jasper said, "Do you not realize that you change emotions every two seconds? For some reason it is giving me a headache. That never happens! Please, what are you?" He pleaded.

"Jazz, I can't… I…"

"Okay. But just, please, try not to change your feelings so much. I feel like a hormonal teenage girl."

"Cause you are one," Felix stated.

"I'll try, Jasper." I ignored Felix. I try to as much as possible.

"How do you know the werewolf Jacob Black?" Aro asked.

"I don't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The door opened then, but no one looked to see who had entered. I guess I was just the center of everything and it didn't matter if it didn't include me… I hate being in the spotlight.

It was quiet now, though. The vampires where trying to think of questions to ask me, I supposed.

"Bella," Aro started, "What do you think should be done with Jacob Black?"

I thought for a moment and then I answered him indifferently, "Let him go."

"Let him go?!" Edward yelled, "Why would we just let him go? Father, I told you that I should be the one to decide what happens to him. He did try to kill me."

"Yes, Edward, but he shot her."

"And?"

"Okay. First off, Edward Volturi, I want you to know that I do not like you very much at all, none really. You are full of yourself and you kill innocent people and you are a tool." I started, but Emmett chimed in.

"Wow, Bella, you sure know how to unload on a guy."

"Well, this asshole thinks I saved him because I like him and want him! That could not be farther from the truth! He didn't deserve to be saved, but someone had to do it! A war would have raged had I not done it… Do you see, Aro, what would have happened?"

"I have not thanked you properly, Bella."

"I don't need thanks. I need time. May I leave?"

"Yes, Aro, I think that fresh air would be good for her wounds. It might help her."

"There are some woods on the far side of the castle. You should go there, if you'd like."

"Thank you." I said. And then I made my way to the door. I saw a man that I had only seen in a picture once, long ago, but I would never forget his face.

"Hello, Isabella. It has… been a long time. You are… as gorgeous as your mother was. More so, actually… Very, very lovely…" He said, as he took his time roaming his eyes down my body. I was acutely aware that the men behind me were well aware of this. He continued, "I have only seen you twice… Quite little, you were... You may know me, Bella. My name is-"

"Phil Weston." I said, emotionless as he looked into my eyes.

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**AN: Please review. **

**It has been so long since I have seen one… I apologize again for not updating at all. I feel terrible. I hope to have another chapter up today; I hope it helps ease the anger. 8-) … For the past week and a half, I have been recovering from surgery, but I am okay now… I hope I didn't disappoint with this chapter.**

**You tell me.**


	6. Long Talks

**AN: As told earlier, another chapter for you! It is so easy to write this story. I just love Bella's sarcasm and hatefulness. 8-) I absolutely love Rein, which is why I created him! Emmett and Felix are awesome to write and I enjoy Phil, too…. **

**There isn't any Edward/Bella yet but there will be. I don't like stories where Edward the "Bad Boy" just all of a sudden changes to being in love. It will be a process here, and a fun one.**

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**"_Thank you." I said. And then I made my way to the door. I saw a man that I had only seen in a picture once, long ago, but I would never forget his face._

"_Hello, Isabella. It has… been a long time. You are… as gorgeous as your mother was. More so, actually… Very, very lovely…" He said, as he took his time roaming his eyes down my body. I was acutely aware that the men behind me were well aware of this. He continued, "I have only seen you twice… Quite little, you were... You may know me, Bella. My name is-"_

"_Phil Weston." I said, emotionless as he looked into my eyes._

_

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_**6. Long Talks**

I looked back into the eyes of my father, Charlie's, killer. I don't know what I felt for him. Maybe it was hatred. The way he looked at me was lustful; disgusting, but I couldn't look away.

"You're right, it has been a long time, fortunately."

"How long?"

"Can we not do this here?" I didn't want to be asked more questions than necessary by the men in the room. Phil was going to undo everything I had tried so hard to avoid.

"You want to go somewhere and be alone?" He asked, with too much insinuation.

"I would rather this not be done here, but not what you think."

I should probably add that Phil is about 609 years old, but he only looks 19. He is very attractive, but he killed my dad so he is a monster to me.

"You don't want them to know." He mused.

"Please, Phil."

"Alright, after you."

"Wait, Bella, you know Phil?" Rein and Jasper said together.

"A little," I replied.

"Bella and I have history, isn't that right, Babe."

"Don't call me that, you-"

"Tsk, tsk, Bella. You have a temper. So much like your dad… Let's go." He winked at me.

I walked down the hall beside him. I heard confusion in the room when we exited. I would definitely be asked too many questions now.

"So…"

"We are still in earshot."

Then he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, which enraged me to no end.

"Put me down!"

"You are injured. You can't walk this far." Then he started to run vampire speed to the other side of the castle. I realized that we were outside earshot, but we were still in sight of the room, and he had intended it this way.

It was not remarkable, this side of the building. There were not flowers or any color, really, aside from the brick of the walls and the green of the grass.

"So…"

"What do you want?" I asked, crossing my arms. He took a step forward.

"Did anyone ever tell you that I loved your mother?"

"You didn't love her."

"I wanted her."

"There is a difference, Phil."

"We have a connection, you and I," he stated, "I killed one of your parents and you killed the other."

"Stop it," I warned.

"What, Bella? We were meant for each other, you and I. Fate meant it," he was testing my temper and he knew it.

I took a step forward and slapped him, but he grabbed my hand and pinned me to the castle wall. I could feel blood trickle down the left side of my face. _How odd. That would never make me bleed._

"Ah, your blood always did smell so… inviting," he said. Then he wiped the blood with his finger and brought it to his mouth. "Mmmmm."

"Let me go."

"I think you should stay there."

I kicked him with all my might, but he caught my leg in his free hand. "Be nice, Bella."

He let me go, but stayed in that position. He put both his hands on the wall with me in-between, no escape, my back against the bricks.

"How old are you now, Bella?"

"Seventeen." I said in a "duh" fashion.

"I mean, really." He said with an obvious face, right back at me.

"One-hundred forty-two."

"Ah, so young."

"Says the geezer," I taunted.

I don't know why I decided to play his game. It seemed so easy at the time, and maybe I would gain some closure. I don't really know.

"Do I look that much older than you, Bella?" He pulled at the opening of his jacket. The shirt he was wearing really complimented his abs.

"No, but you are pretty old."

"Some girls like older guys."

"And?"

"You aren't 'some girl'."

I pushed him off the wall with as much force as I could. "Time to go back."

"You can't fool me like you do them, I know you are thirsty, Bella. Let's take you to hunt."

"I do that alone."

"Fine, I will go back and have a talk with the guys while you hunt." He started to walk, but I caught up to him.

"No. You can come."

"Awe. I am flattered you want me to come."

"Whatever. I just don't want them to ask too many questions. You make it hard to leave."

"Oh, how?"

"The only way I can leave is if Aro allows me to. That is all there is to it. You know it. You make him suspicious of me. They do not know what I am."

"I doubt they would believe it; you are one of a kind."

"I know. It makes life hard."

"No, what makes life hard is knowing you are a murderer just like the rest of us," Phil said with a smirk.

"I hold something over you, you do know that right?"

He stopped.

"Aro doesn't know, but I do. If I have to, I will tell him and he will not be happy with you, Phil."

He looked at me a moment, and then he smiled.

"I suppose that we are agreed then."

"I suppose we are," I said, content.

"It really is so very strange, Bella. I have thought about you for many years, wondering if I would ever see you again, and here you are…" He looked at me the same as he had in the room.

"I don't plan to be here long."

"Why did you do it?" He asked.

"Do what?"

"Save Edward. I know you don't like him. I don't like him. He reminds me too much of-"

"My dad."

"Ha, ha, ha, yeah."

We were just entering the woods when we saw the first deer. "This one is mine," I said.

"They are all yours. I only drink human."

"You are just a sadistic vampire," I said. Then I ran towards the first deer.

Twenty minutes later I was fully satisfied and Phil was leading the way back to the castle.

"Are you feeling guilt at all for what you did?" I asked him.

"Sometimes I feel like I could have handled it without my temper. If I had really thought about it I would have let him just live with himself.

"You really hated him."

"It is not easy to stay on Aro's good side. It is strange seeing him with you. He would have any other killed if they spoke to him the way that you do. You saved his son, but that is not the reason for his mercy. You should be careful."

"You sound like you care."

"A little."

We were within hearing range of the room now. We assumed that everyone would have left by now, but we were wrong. They were waiting.

"Bella! I am gonna kill him. It took all I had not to do it earlier! Jasper calmed me!"

"I am okay, Em."

"Yeah, Emzie, I didn't hurt her too much."

"She has more cuts than she left here with!"

"They are healing, Emmett. I am okay, I promise. It's all okay. Phil was just leaving." I gave him a look.

"I was? Oh, oh yes, I was… I will… see you much later, Bella." He winked at me once more before he left and then he blew me a kiss. The idiot.

"Bella, do you need a bandage for that?" Rein asked.

"No."

"How do you know Phil?" Demetri asked. It was the first time all day that I had heard him speak in such close proximity to me.

"I don't."

"Bella, I don't want you around him anymore," Emmett said with definite resolve.

"Em-"

"No arguing."

I smiled at him, "Okay."

"Why do you do that?" Jasper asked.

"What did I do?"

"You dazzled him. Again."

I must have looked like I had just seen a dog eating with a spoon.

"When you smile at Emmett you dazzle him and he stops feeling. I can't feel his emotions."

"Whatever, Jasper," I thought he was joking, but he looked genuinely quizzical.

I blushed. This only worsened things.

"Emmett, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"See, Jazz?"

"Something is different about you, Bella."

"There isn't."

"May I talk to Bella alone?" Rein asked.

"Why?" Edward asked.

"It is too crowded here," Rein said to end it. It seemed he had deeper meaning to that, like he didn't want Edward there.

I wondered why Edward would care anyway. He seems to care less that I am here, indifferent to everything except the fact that I have the power to decide what becomes of Jacob Black. I don't care about Edward Volturi, no matter what he thinks.

"I don't mind talking alone."

From the corner of my eye I saw Edward sulk for a mere millisecond.

As it turns out Rein's room is right across the hall, and it is vampire sound-proof and he had it made to where no outside powers could intrude. He made this room to suit him in this place; it's his safe haven, the only place he can truly be alone.

It looks like you would expect Rein's room to look. Antiques lined shelves on the walls, but they were unique, colorful designs, not something you would think to see in a _vampire's_ room. There was a black and white bed, but he wouldn't need it because he doesn't sleep. It is really freaky they have so many beds here that aren't being used.

The carpet was a rusty orange color.

What struck me most was that there were pictures of him on the walls, but the reason they were on the walls was because of the two other men in the picture: Charlie Swan and Carlisle Cullen.

They must have been friends when Charlie and Carlisle used to live here. This would be a difficult conversation. Of all the ones here, Rein seems like the one I can trust the most. It's nice to have that when you don't know if you will be able to leave or not.

Once we were both inside his room, and seated, he looked at me.

"You are extraordinarily beautiful-"

"Dr. Rein-"

"Please, let me finish, and it's just Rein from now on." He smiled to lighten the mood. "In addition to your fantastic beauty," he began and I tried to interrupt but he held up his hand,

"You heal at an astronomical rate. You did not die on impact from your wound, and it would have killed a human. I have no doubt about that, Bella.

"You move somewhat lithely, but it is still clumsy-"

"I have always been that way."

"I know that, but your skin has never been penetrated by anything other than that bullet. You fall, but nothing penetrates, and it hurts, but only on the surface. It is interesting. Outside, when Phil pushed you against the wall, it shouldn't have scraped you."

"I know. It's strange. I think that my body healing made me somehow weaker, but I am back to normal now."

"It is because you fed in the woods over the other side of the castle." It was not a question, but I didn't expect less from him. He is so much like Carlisle, but Rein is younger looking- about the same age as Phil.

"You are fast, faster than a human, but not as fast as a vampire. This brings me to the next part: you know about vampires and about werewolves. Humans do not. You just mentioned that you are not a human.

"We are under complete confidentiality here, I assure you, Bella."

"I believe you."

"You turned down the food earlier so you do not eat human food-"

"Except chocolate. I love the stuff."

He smiled.

"Human food is gross-"

"Yes, we vampires think the same thing," he mused while looking sideways at me. "Phil has not been out of Volterra in 76 years, Bella, and you have never been here before."

"Where did he go 76 years ago?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that you have to be at least 76 years old, but I think you are older. The catch is that you only look about 17.

"To finish, I know you knew about the special bullet that was made to kill Edward. You know more, probably, than any of us.

"What are you Bella? Who are you? You can trust me, you know. I have withheld more things from Edward Volruti than Aro knows about. Aro knows well enough not to touch me without permission to do so. Your secrets will be safe with me." He looked to me, then.

"What do you want to know first?"

He smiled like Carlisle does when he discovers something that he has been searching for, answers to unsolved questions and the like.

"You said earlier today that you could not answer some of the questions…?" He looked expectant.

"Every bit of this stays-"

"Between us, Bella, I swear it to you."

"Alright. My full name is Isabella Marie Swan/Cullen. I can't decide which last name to take-"

"Wait," Rein said. He seemed to catch the link.

"My real father's name was Charlie Swan-"

"Charlie? My old friend, Charlie Swan?" He looked deranged.

"I believe so, yes."

"Go on…" He seemed to be battling in his head.

"He was my real father-"

"Was?"

"He… was killed, Rein."

"Oh… Who did it? Do you know, Bella?" This was the first time that I had seen him angry, and I never want to see it again.

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Later, there are more important things right now."

"More important?!"

"Please, Rein-"

"Okay. I will let you finish. No more interruptions."

"I can't decide whether to take the last name of Cullen or Swan. My mother was a human-"

"Human?! How is that even possible?"

"Rein."

"I do apologize. Please, continue."

"My mother's name was Renee Swan. She married Charlie when she was human and she stayed human through the honeymoon… My mother became pregnant with Charlie's child, me.

"She died giving birth to me… Because… Because she… She didn't give birth… I clawed my way out of her, Rein, I murdered my own mother! I am a murderer…"

"No, Bella… You were too young."

"Stop, Rein."

He motioned his apologies. I continued.

"My mother died and my father was devastated. He wanted to die… Before he was murdered he told Carlisle and his wife Esme to take me in… They willingly did. You can understand why Carlisle let Charlie die."

"Carlisle always was compassionate that way." Rein smiled, remembering his two friends. It made me glad to know another man who was my father's friend, even though I had only just found out.

"This was all 142 years ago, on the day of my birth."

"My, my, my," Rein shook his head.

"I now live with Carlisle and Esme, and Rosalie and Alice, my other two adoptive sisters. They are all vampires, full ones.

"That is pretty much it."

"Who murdered Charlie?" Rein made it clear that he wanted an answer now.

"Phil Weston, Rein." I admitted sheepishly.

"What?"

"He wanted my mother. He thinks he wants me now, but he doesn't really. Charlie, with his ability, took Phil's place in the eyes of-"

"Aro." He seemed to have come to understanding now.

"Yes. But he acted on anger. I actually thank him for that and I think I owe him…"

"Why? Bella, you don't owe him anything! He killed Charlie!"

"And he kept him from a life of despair."

"He had a daughter, you."

"Yes, but I am told I look like her more than Charlie."

"This is why so many of the guard have been staring at you today. It all makes sense. It's the combination of your beauty and the Charlie you have in you."

"Beauty, shmooty."

"You have issues with your self-esteem, you know."

"I see what there is to see, I see a murderer." I said with full confidence.

"You were young, Bella."

"Yes, but I still did it. When a drunk kills someone, he may not remember it, he may have been unable to think clearly, but he still did it."

"Charlie wouldn't want you to be so hard on yourself, and I bet it tears Carlisle to pieces." He shook his head. "So what exactly are you, Bella?"

"I thought, someone as smart as you, would be able to guess it right off."

"You aren't a vampire and you aren't a human-"

"I am both, Rein."

He was amused at this.

He cocked his head like Carlisle. (We all know how that is, don't we?)

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**AN: I just love writing this! Man… 8-) I will try to get another chapter, but no promises.**

**Review.**


	7. New Surroundings

**AN: Today was supposed to be dedicated to my other story, The Giving Gift, but I wanted to post another chapter for this story…**

**There shouldn't be as many mistakes in this chappy because I figured out how the spell-check works! Go me!**

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**"_You aren't a vampire and you aren't a human-"_

"_I am both, Rein."_

_He was amused at this._

_He cocked his head like Carlisle. (We all know how that is, don't we?)_

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_**7. New Surroundings Part I **

I wasn't given a choice on whether I wanted to stay in the castle or if I wanted to leave it, but it was well-known that I wanted to be rid of the place. Aro wouldn't let me leave, but he was subtle about it. "Come, Bella, it is far too late of a time for you to leave now," He had said, "You are more than welcome to sleep in one of the castle rooms. I would much enjoy your company once you have been fully rested."

It was quite clear that I wouldn't be allowed to leave, that I didn't actually own the situation like I thought I had. Aro had insisted that I stay in Edward's quarters because, after all, he wouldn't need the bed. I hadn't wanted to be anywhere near him, or his belongings, but no one can refuse Aro's wishes.

Edward's quarters ended up being on the top floor of the castle. Because I had been only one floor up above the dungeon room and the basement, this was a shock to me.

The room was a mixture of different shades of gold, and black was a main color. The carpet had a dark-gold tint to it, and the bed was the same size as the one I had at Carlisle and Esme's; it was big, huge even. It was the color of pitch-black midnight. It contrasted well with the gold and white in the room.

There were dozens and dozens of shelves of music; he more than likely owned everything there was to own in the music realm.

One would think that all the sleeping I did while I was unconscious would keep me awake and make me not tired…

One would be right.

Though the bed is more comfortable, something I thought impossible, than the bed I had in my healing room, I couldn't bring myself to fall asleep. My legs felt like I had a little case of "Restless Leg Syndrome". This, combined with the fact that I was in this all new environment I knew nothing about, brought me to get up and be snoopy.

There are reasons behind my fascination of werewolves. I was running in the woods one day, hunting, and I came across the pack. They were running a perimeter; it looked like, like they were looking for something… or someone. I saw them change forms, in and out. The process gave me fascination to rival Rein or Carlisle, and what I learned in Rein's office was that there was another who shared the fascination of discovery: my father.

The wolves did not know I was there, but I think they suspected that something was watching them when they went out. Along with my sarcasm, I am a snoop. The wolves, I found, were looking for vampires. They weren't searching for my type of vampire, my family, that drinks animal blood, but they were looking to kill vampires who preyed on humans.

When I put two and two together, I get the obvious answer. Jacob was trying to rage a war between wolves and vampires because it was the only way that his pack would get close to the Volturi and their guard. I must admit, it was a good plan, but Jake wasn't expecting a half-breed vampire/human teen girl to jump between him and his target.

I hadn't taken the time to examine the walls, or any part of the inside of the castle, while I was walking to my, I mean Edward's, room. It really was immaculately designed, gorgeous in every entailment. There were pictures from way back, thousands of years, lining the walls. Aro's I presumed, every detail coordinated according to him as everything was within the castle walls.

I don't know what led me there, but somehow on my walk I ended up beside Jacob. He was as a pictured him: he looked beaten, but healing by the second; he looked tired; he looked absolutely pissed.

He was chained to the floor. I wondered why he hadn't tried to escape, but then I remember the torture that was done to him; he wouldn't want to put himself in that position again.

Before I had gone to bed, a receptionist, Heidi I believe her name was, gave me some clothes to wear. She had given me a blue tank top and short, denim shorts.

I sat cross-legged on the floor in front of his cage-like obstacle. He knew I was there, but he wouldn't open his eyes. "I am trying to get you out of there," I offered, but he still wouldn't look up. He probably didn't even know who I was by my voice alone. He might recognize me if he saw me, but I hoped that he wouldn't.

"You know… I think my opinion on your situation is more… weighted on… than Edward's to Aro. That might mean-"

"If you are here to get into my head you can just piss off," he said with his eyes closed.

"I don't want in your head, Jake. I want… I am a prisoner, too. Aro won't allow me to leave. I think he finds me as an addition rather than a visitor who wants to pass through and be excused."

He opened his eyes then and took in my appearance. "You don't look like a prisoner; if you haven't noticed, you are on the outside of the cage."

"Yes," I started, "But I am not any freer to leave than you, less actually. There is a chance that you will be allowed out, but I am not so sure about myself."

"If I were Aro, his geezer age and everything, I would keep you captive, too," he said with a grin.

I blushed, "It isn't like that, Jake."

"Only my friends call me Jake," he said.

"Well, Jacob Black, will you be my friend in this humongous prison?"

He seemed to mull it over for some time. "What is your name?"

"Bella."

"Bella, you can be my friend on one condition," he said with a smile.

I was a little scared of his expression. "Oh."

"I am hungry," he said.

"Oh!"

"Yeah… Uh, can you get me some food that isn't blood in this place?"

"I actually have no clue," I said honestly.

"Oh," he laughed. It was stranger than anything to see him smile and laugh. I actually felt that he and I could be friends, but I would want him to get out of this place first chance he got. Something told me that he wasn't changed from his "Bad Boy" status that equaled him to Edward, but I thought that I could help him; I could become his friend.

"Let me go and check to see if I can find some food minus blood," I said with a smile.

"Thanks, Bells."

As I was walking around, looking for a kitchen, I ran into Rein, literally. "My apologies, so sorry," he said. When he noticed he had run into me, he smiled mischievously. "What are you doing out of bed?"

I have never been a good liar so this situation was not a clever one to find myself in. "Oh… Me? I was just… admiring the, uh, architecture," I started. Rein looked doubtful. "And I just wanted to find a midnight snack." I had totally forgotten that Rein knew of my dislike of human food now. I was caught in my lie. I grimaced.

"Really? You want 'gross' human food now, do you?"

"Yes," I said in what I hoped was a convincing tone. It wasn't.

"What are you really up walking around for?" It was like he already knew. He probably did.

"I went to visit Jacob Black," I started.

"Ah," he replied.

"Yeah… So, he is hungry. I wanted to get him some food. Human food, no blood, was his request."

Rein laughed. "Well, I was just on my way to check on young Jacob myself."

"Really?"

He pointed to his chest, "Doctor," he said. _Right_.

"Oh, so do you know-"

"Where to find food without blood? Yes, as a matter of fact I do. This way," he said.

"Thanks for doing this."

"It really is no trouble, Bella. I am a doctor. Both you and Jacob Black are my patient. I don't get very many here, none really."

"You really do remind me of my dad," I said more to myself. I have decided that my father is Charlie, but my dad is Carlisle because he raised me. I haven't chosen my last name though, yet.

"I told him he should become a doctor, you know."

"Really? So you must be the man he talks about. He says that a friend told him to make the best of this life and do what he feels comfortable with. Carlisle is the inspiration for the 'vegetarian' lifestyle that I have. I am grateful even though I am a lot to handle sometimes."

"Yes, you are quite lively," he said with a laugh.

"For a long time I have had to deal with what I did," I began, "My sarcasm and everything about me is defined by that murder."

"You didn't know," he said. "I have tried the 'vegetarian' side, by the way, but I just can't thrive on it. Staying here all the time is not the best, not what some would think. I have a lot of leverage but I will never be allowed to leave freely. I am collected, and human blood is the only thing that I truly enjoy here… Well, that is until you came along."

I stopped. "I have never told my dad or _anyone_ about this, but… I have tried human blood. It was better than chocolate, the most decadent thing imaginable. I didn't kill for it. I have only ever committed one murder. Don't interrupt," I warned. "I stole it. I got it from the hospital blood bank. It was type AB-."

"Bella," he said stunned. AB- is the most craved blood and it's rare.

"I know. It was the first time I had ever tried it, too. After that, it was hard, for years, to go to school with the humans. Any time that one would bleed, I would have to leave school. That is my deepest secret, besides the other."

"You are quite interesting, Bella"

"I think you are too," I said. Then I started walking again.

"Bella," Rein started. He seemed to be struggling over words.

"Yeah?"

"May I be bold and ask you a… personal question?"

"Sure," I said apprehensively.

"… Why _did_ you do it? I mean, why did you save Edward?"

I stopped again… And I told the truth. "I don't know."

"Huh."

"He is… Uh. I just… UGH. I don't know, Rein. I really don't."

"I assumed as much."

"You know what happens when you assume?"

He laughed, hearing the daring tone of my voice. "What?"

"You make an ASS out of U and ME. A-S-S-U-M-E!" I said proudly.

"Quite interesting," he said again.

We rounded the corner then, to the "cage". The room wasn't big, only about a foot on each side of the cage to the wall and there were chairs… I felt that by me sitting on the floor, I really was a prisoner, not a prisonee, if that's a word.

"I- I mean… We brought you food," I told Jake happily.

"Did the bloodsucker touch it?"

"Which one of us are you referring to, Jake?"

He looked confused. Then, he took a whiff of the air around me, "Oh," he said with a grimace.

"I carried the plate," I offered.

He rolled his eyes. "Give me the food, Bells," he started. Then, seeing my expression he added, "Please."

"Here you go, ham and cheese on wheat bread with a glass of water to drink." I said in my waiter voice.

"Thanks, Bells."

"You're welcome."

"How are you feeling, Jacob?" Rein asked, full doctor face on.

Jacob looked at him incredulously. "I feel shitty. Who are you?"

"I beg your pardon, Jacob. I am Dr. Rein-"

"Doctor?" Jake cut him short.

"Yes. I am here to see that you are well," he said.

"I know what a doctor is. I just didn't know that there were any more leech doctors than that one in Forks."

"There aren't many, I grant you," Rein said in a friendly manner. This seemed to affect Jacob.

"I gotta admit, Doc, it's nice to have a break from the torture," he said. "I am getting' better. So you can just leave… you know… when ya want," he said. He caught the expression on my face.

Rein seemed unaffected. "I was actually just about to leave. I will check in to see that you are alright. Jacob, Bella, you should get some rest, both of you."

"See you later, Rein, and thank you," I said.

He nodded. He left.

"You could be nicer," I said. I got up to leave, but he reached through the bars, barely, and caught my hand. "Don't go. I'm sorry," he said.

"Well," I began. His large hand covered my hand completely. An electricity was going through me; his hand was much warmer than mine. "I guess I can stay a little while."

He sat back down then, letting go of my hand he went back to the wall and closed his eyes. Within minutes he was asleep, snoring, and I followed not long after.

I woke up the next morning on the hard, dusty concrete floor. There was a single window in the small room and the bright light from outside was shining full on me. It felt wonderful, like always when I go into the sun on a bright day. I didn't have to look at myself to know what I was glowing; I could feel it.

When I opened my eyes, sitting around the room in chairs were Rein, Emmett, Jasper, and Alec. Jacob was still in his cell.

"You are glowing, Bells. That's freaky," Jake said.

I smiled. "Yeah, it's not sparkles, but it works the magic."

"You're pretty," Alec said.

I laughed. "You had Rein check your eyes lately?"

Rein smiled.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" I asked.

"They are feeding," Jasper responded.

"Oh," I said. "So humans are dying right now? That's Volterra for you."

"Actually, we just finished." Then came Aro, Marcus, Caius, Demetri, Felix, Phil, and Edward.

I didn't reply, but I did sit up into a cross-legged position, still in the light; it gave me confidence.

"How did you sleep, Bella?" Aro asked.

"Comfortably," I said sarcastically.

"Whatever, Bells. You were tossin' and turnin' all night," Jacob said, "I woke up twice because you were talking in your sleep."

I blushed big time on that one.

"That color is lovely on your skin, Bella," Aro commented.

"Ha," I said. "And I do not talk in my-"

"You do, too! I came down here early this morning, Sis, and you were talking 'bout Wat J. Wood or something!" Emmett announced.

I couldn't help it, I busted into giggles and couldn't stop for a full five minutes. When I did stop, I started back up again. By the end of my fit, Emmett was about to die. Again.

"I… Oh my gosh… Wat J. Wood, Emmett? Are you sure?" I asked, still laughing.

"Ye… yeah," he got out.

"I cannot believe it," I said, shaking my head.

"Is that your boooy frieeend?" Emmett asked in a mocking tone. This only made me laugh more.

"Oh yeah, Em. I didn't tell you about the relationship between myself and my government teacher," I said with mock enthusiasm.

"You are dating your government teacher?" Emmett asked, shocked.

I looked at him incredulously. "NO, Emmett." I shook my head. "Wait. You called me Sis."

"Well… yeah."

"Emmy," I said with a bubbly lip.

Emmett and Jasper laughed. I smiled.

"This really is touching, Bella," Phil said.

"Did you enjoy eating your human, Phillip?" I taunted.

"All three of them, Babe," he threw back.

"How many friggin' times do I gotta say not to call me that?" I was angry. I jumped up and went over to him and slapped him.

"I am so sorry, Isabella. You would think that I would be able to notice that you are no longer a baby," he said while looking at me again. I shot him daggers with my eyes.

Rein got up then, "Phil, I would much appreciate it if you would not talk to Bella anymore."

"Why do you care, Rein? Do you have feelings for Bella?"

"I care." He looked menacing. Phil turned back to me. "You told him," he said, amused.

I went to sit back in the light, to calm down. Rein sat back down, too, in his chair.

"What am I missing?" Aro asked.

"Nothing of importance, Aro," Phil said.

"Bella, please," Jasper said.

"Sorry, Jazzy." He looked amused. "The only person who calls me that is-"

"Don't say the name," I shivered. "I call you that now, too." I smiled.

"I like it better when you say it," he admitted.

"Good," I said.

"You talking about that little-" Jacob began.

"Yes," I said.

"I am on Bella's side on that one."

It was silent for a beat; it was the first time that none of us had anything to say. I looked down. My phone was on silent, but it was lit up; someone was calling me. I grimaced and flipped the cell open. I put it to my ear, "Hello?"

"Bella! I am so glad that I got a hold of you, dear. Where are you?" Esme said. I looked up at the vampires in front of me.

"Me? Oh… I am… uh, I'm in Seattle."

"Liar," Phil said with a grin. "Shut up," I mouthed.

"Seattle?" She said.

"Yeah, I am… shopping."

"Shopping? Honey, you hate shopping."

"I wanted to buy some… books."

"Oh, now that makes more sense, honey. I have been calling for a long time now. Why haven't you been answering?" She accused.

"I am so, so, sorry, mom. My phone has been on silent for a while," I said.

"Well keep it on tone or vibrate for me, won't you? And since when do you call me 'mom'?"

"Oh, well, I guess it's just a new thing. I'm sorry, Esme," I said sincerely.

"I love you, Bella," She added in her motherly voice.

"I love you, Mom."

"Oh, the reason I called, Carlisle and I are going to be staying on Isle Esme for a longer time-"

"That's wonderful, Esme!"

"Well, you know Carlisle, always the charmer."

I giggled.

"Will you be okay alone for a little while longer?" She asked, concerned.

"I am quite sure I will manage." She laughed.

"Do you want to speak to Carlisle?"

I thought for a second. "Sure." I looked at Rein. He smiled. I smiled back.

"Hi, daddy," I said.

"I told you," I heard Esme say. I laughed.

"What books are you looking at right now?" Carlisle asked.

I looked around, "… Vampire books and Werewolf books," I laughed.

Jasper and Emmett almost died of laughter that one. "Shush," I mouthed, smiling.

"That's fitting," Carlisle laughed, "We have to go, Bella, we love you!"

"I love you, too dad. Bye."

"Bye-bye, honey," Esme said.

I flipped my phone shut after I set it to tone, then I leaned against the cell bars and let go of a deep breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

"Bella-" Emmett started.

"Don't, Em," I said through my laughter.

"What will happen when they come home and you aren't there?" Rein asked.

"Whooh. I don't know, but I couldn't exactly tell them the truth," I said.

Emmett laughed. "I can just imagine that, Bella, 'Yeah, mom, dad, I am in Volterra, yeah, in Italy with vampires and a werewolf who tried to assassinate Aro Volturi's son, yeah the head vampire, but don't you worry about his son because I am the one that really got shot!" He laughed.

"That was you?" Jake asked. I grimaced. "Yeah, but no harm, no foul. I am okay."

"I shot you."

"Yeah."

"Bells, you brought me food, (insert word) food!"

"You were hungry, Jake."

It was quiet.

"Was that Carlisle Cullen on the phone just now?" Aro asked.

You could hear a pen drop.

* * *

**AN: I am debating on whether to stop here or not… I think I will, but I will start a new chapter. I don't know if it will post today or not.**


	8. The Truth

**AN: I am back on my computer! YES! I know… IT IS TOTALLY AWESOME… I need a full day when I can work on my other story, **_**The Giving Gift**_**, so it will be a few days. It is much easier to write this one, and I don't have much time to write tonight.**

**Disclaimer: I have forgotten to do disclaimers lately… My bad… I do not own Twilight.**

**

* * *

**_"I shot you."_

_"Yeah."_

_"Bells, you brought me food, (insert word) food!"_

_"You were hungry, Jake."_

_It was quiet._

_"Was that Carlisle Cullen on the phone just now?" Aro asked._

_You could hear a pen drop._

* * *

**8. The Truth**

I was looking at the floor when Aro asked, and that was a good thing; he couldn't see the panic written clear- in all different languages- on my face. I collected myself and decided that it would be best to play dumb for now. "Who?" I asked in what I hoped to be my convincing way. No one, save for Rein, knew about my family, or anything about me, to be honest. I was still a mystery unsolved to all else, though, Phil did have more understanding.

Rein looked unchanged; for this I was grateful. He must have been very practiced with his poker face, and mind.

"Father," Edward began in his snobby tone, "It can't be the same Carlisle. There is no possible way that it could be."

Rein and I shared a look. Phil snickered, but Edward seemed not to notice what about.

Silence. I looked down.

"Edward is correct, Aro. There is little to no chance that it could be the same man," Rein said convincingly enough that I believed him. I looked up.

"Perhaps," Aro conceded, "But… When Bella mentioned 'vampires and werewolves', this Carlisle seemed to be quite familiar on the subject," Aro said. His eyes moved to me, then.

"He is more than likely a researching man; anyone can find anything on the internet these days. Bella believes in vampires and werewolves. It isn't so much a stretch that her father also believes… Correct, Bella?" Rein said.

"… Carlisle believes," was all I said.

Aro continued to stare me down. I could see no more of the Aro that I had know since I had been here. I was seeing the Aro Volturi that Carlisle told me, warned me, about. Carlisle had always told me that if I were to be discovered by Aro, he would add me to his collection, no question about it. This was another reason that I needed to get out of Volterra as soon as possible. If Aro were to discover who I am, _what_ I am, the outcome could be something I wouldn't like at all. To be stuck in this place, as Rein was proof of, would be horrid.

If I had told Carlisle or Esme that I was in Volterra, Italy, not even mentioning that I was in the presence of the Volturi, they would panic and insist on coming with an army. Because of what I am, Alice can't see my future. This is a big deal in our family. Alice's premonitions are one of the many things that my parents count on. With her ability not working on me, it makes Carlisle and Esme very nervous.

It gives me freedom, space.

"The Carlisle on the phone had the same voice as my old, dear friend," Aro said, absolute.

"He did…" Edward seemed to realize. The others nodded and looked to me for explanation. Rein looked at me and mouthed, "Tell them." It seemed that I had no choice. Aro had his mind set on the truth.

"It _was_ Carlisle Cullen on the phone…" I drifted off, looking down again.

"Yes," Aro said, making it clear he already knew this. He had a subtle touch of irritation and searching in his tone. It frightened me. "How do you know my old friend, Bella?"

"I… uh," I stuttered.

"The truth, please, Bella."

I looked up. "He's… my dad."

"I know this, Bella, but you are not a vampire, unlike Carlisle Cullen and myself. How is it that you know him?"

"I am adopted."

"Really… That really is quite interesting… Why has he not changed you, yet?"

"We…" I looked to Rein for confirmation. Aro saw my gaze go to him, and he addressed Rein, "You know more than I thought you did, my friend."

"Yes," Rein said to me, but Aro took it as a confirmation to his question, which it was.

"You sure are in a pickle, Bella," Phil said with a wide smile.

"As are you, Phillip. I tell them," I pointed to the room at large, "And you go down." He frowned at this. "It won't be as bad as what happens to you," was his reply. He was correct in this; he smiled.

"No more of this," Caius said. It was the only time he had spoken since my arrival.

"Explain yourself," Marcus added.

I panicked. I got up and tried to run, knowing it would do no good. I used the vampire speed that I have, but Edward- the fastest runner, I assumed- caught up to me. I was looking back to see if I was being followed and I ran into him, falling down.

"I will win this," he said. "Come with me freely and I won't have to carry you," he said cockily. I didn't like it; I ran again.

He grabbed me by the waist and carried me, kicking and yelling and hitting, human speed, back down the hallway. He laughed at my protests. I had to admit, it was a nice sound, his laughter, and being in his strong arms… _What are you thinking, Bella?! Be reasonable_.

"Put me down, you-"

"You what?" He challenged. He held on to me tightly, but he put me in front of him so that I was looking into his blood-red eyes. When I didn't answer him, he grinned crookedly and I was stunned. He picked me up again and I didn't protest.

"Stupid vampire," I said as we entered the room again.

"I take offense to that," Felix and Phil said in sync. Emmett and Jazz laughed.

"Ugh… Rein," I pleaded.

"You… need to tell them, Bella," he said sadly. He knew what this would mean.

"Where do I begin?" I asked him. "Begin with the beginning," Aro offered.

I took a deep breath. "A vampire by the name of Phil Weston changed a man, Charlie Swan, into a vampire around 573 years ago," I began. I saw recognition on many of the faces. "It was on your order, Aro… You believed that the human would carry with him an insight to the mind when he was changed… Not unlike the insight that your 'son' has, the same really.

"Charlie Swan did have that ability-"

"Did?" Aro asked.

"He was killed," I began, "But I am not there yet.

"You grew quite fond of him… I didn't know that Edward was here then… No one told me that.

"Charlie Swan met Carlisle Cullen here, in Volturi Castle, as I understand it… I only just found out that Rein was their friend… Charlie's friend," I looked at Rein then and smiled. He knew that I was happy to know someone who was close to my father, besides Carlisle. "The two friends didn't like the lifestyle here… Human blood wasn't what they wanted, bloodshed. I admire them both for it… Carlisle, mainly.

"They left. You know this. They went to America, Forks, to be exact. That's in Washington state. On the way there, Carlisle met Esme. She was dying; he changed her. They fell in love; they married and have been together ever since." I looked around. They were all absorbed in my story, no interruptions; they were truly interested. I continued, "Charlie wanted someone to love, someone to accept him and love him as Esme loved Carlisle. He didn't think he deserved it, love.

"Renee Nichols showed up some time later. She… was human," I said slowly. They looked disbelieving and ready to protest, but Aro made them silent.

"Charlie Swan, a vampire, fell in love with Renee Nichols, a human, and they married. She was not dying; he did not change her. They… had a…" I struggled with how to word it, "The two of them had a… normal, human honeymoon-"

"How, the hell, did that work?!" Emmett boomed, "Did he kill her? I can't imagine!"

"… No, Em, he didn't," Emmett looked ready to smack me to see if I was sane. "He didn't kill her. They were very happy, making love and being married, but it did come with a cost…" I stopped.

"Bella, remember, it _was not_ your fault," Rein said.

"Yes it was," Phil said.

I took a deep breath. I wondered, now, why Aro wouldn't just get the story from Rein. "Aro-"

"I would like to hear it from you," he said like he already knew what I was about to ask. I supposed that Phil and Rein were very much practiced because Edward looked frustrated.

"No vampire male had ever tried it, had ever had the control it took… He loved her _so much_," I started. I began to tear up, something that I hadn't done in forever, literally. The difference between full vampires and I is that I can cry, much to my embarrassment. I do not like to show weakness.

"Renee… became pregnant," I said. I looked at Edward, of all the vampires. Realization dawned on his face alone, but he was silent, wide eyed.

"The… _thing_ ate up all her energy, every ounce of her life was sucked out of her by _it_… She didn't have Charlie's baby… It _clawed_ its way out of her, _killing_ her," I breathed. "Charlie was devastated… He had another vampire kill him, for good… Carlisle let him. He didn't want his best friend to live life thinking of his dead love… The _love of his existence_ taken away by that _monster _baby…

"Renee's dying wish was the baby's name and Charlie passed it on to Carlisle before he died. Both the parents loved the… offspring they had created, but Charlie wouldn't live without his Renee…

"Carlisle and Esme took in the child, raised it. Half-breed vampire/human, it was. Only one of its kind, it was… A murderer, it is," I said as a tear rolled down my face. Jacob reached through the bars and wiped it away. "Thanks," I said, muffled.

"The child's name is Isabella Marie Swan/Cullen… She can't decide which last name to take. She deserves neither one."

"Bella, stop it," Jasper said. I looked at him. "I killed my own mother." He didn't respond.

"You are both a vampire and a human?" Aro asked, intrigued.

"Yes."

"Hmmmm. Well, it is a good thing that we have met each other, then."

"Aro, am I going to be allowed to leave or not?" I asked, fearful. He studied me.

"Stand up for me, Bella." I did. He looked me over. "I can certainly see the Charlie in you… Renee must have been stunning… Mixed with the vampire… Human blood flowing… Heartbeat… Speed… You don't like human food do you, Bella?"

"No." Phil was giving me a weird look. He was probably wondering why I hadn't ratted him out as my father's killer.

"Ah… I would like to get to know you better," Aro said.

"So that's a no?" He was smiling largely.

"For now."

* * *

**AN: INTENSE. LURVE IT.**


	9. Banter and the Like

**AN: I just have to keep going on this story… I love it… I still don't know what I am going to do with my other story, The Giving Gift, but I am getting a pretty good idea…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I don't own the song, _Go Bad_, either.  
**

**

* * *

**"_Aro, am I going to be allowed to leave or not?" I asked, fearful. He studied me._

"_Stand up for me, Bella." I did. He looked me over. "I can certainly see the Charlie in you… Renee must have been stunning… Mixed with the vampire… Human blood flowing… Heartbeat… Speed… You don't like human food do you, Bella?"_

"_No." Phil was giving me a weird look. He was probably wondering why I hadn't ratted him out as my father's killer._

"_Ah… I would like to get to know you better," Aro said._

"_So that's a no?" He was smiling largely._

"_For now."_

_

* * *

_**9. Banter and the Like**

I looked at Rein, again. I had told him that this would happen. Aro was watching me, scrutinizing my every move. The world, my world, was spinning. I couldn't get up; I really was a prisoner, trapped here. Would I ever be free? Probably not…

"No," Jacob said. "Bella isn't gonna be one of your 'prized possessions'. She isn't a trophy to be collected, you leech. You have enough vamps here to satisfy your pervish craving. Let her leave, it's what she wants." His efforts were wasted. No matter how many people begged, I was a half-breed, only one of my kind; Aro couldn't let me slip away from his eyes.

"Bella is free to leave… After I have gotten to know her better… How is my dear friend, Carlisle, by the way? Bella…?" He asked me. The room was still spinning. My eyes were closed and when I tried to open them I said, "He's…"

I fainted.

xxxxxxx

"Silly human," Emmett said. "Get up, Bella."

"Bella-"

"Bells-"

"Wake up…"

"I'll get up if you all _shut it_," I said. It was muffled by my being still under, but with their hearing they caught it. "Carlisle is doing well, by the way. He is happy, has a job as a human doctor-"

Many of them laughed.

"How does he manage that?" Felix asked.

"He has grown immune to human blood's draw on him," I responded.

"I could never do that."

"I know."

No one talked.

When I opened my eyes, Aro's face was inches from mine. I jumped back in surprise, hitting my head on the bars behind me. "Ouch! Fu-"

"BELLA!" Emmett laughed out.

"You can faint-" Aro began.

"I sleep, too," I added.

"Sleep… The bars hurt you," he said.

"Duh, they hurt."

"But it takes a bullet made of the hardest material to hurt you."

"That or the regular way."

"What is the regular way?" Aro asked. I think he already knew even before I told him.

"Well, say Jacob wanted to take a bite out of me, for the fun of it, he could."

"Bells," Jacob started, "You are the weirdest-"

"Or… Say Phil or Felix, or even Edward, wanted to rip me up, they could. I don't know if I would come back together, or not, if I wasn't burned up… No one has intentionally tried to physically hurt me before," I finished.

"Yes…" Aro said, thinking.

"Anyone ever tries to hurt you I will kill them," Emmett said.

I smiled, weak.

"That is very bold of you, Emmett… You have only known Bella for two days, less even… Yet, you are already affected… The same goes for Jasper and Rein… Jacob, the werewolf with an attitude, has already gone soft… I must admit that I was struck when I first met you, even with your rude behavior… It is a part of your charm," Aro was looking at me.

"I can see where Aro is going. Bella, has anyone ever… _not_ liked you?"

I thought about this. "Edward," I said. "Felix, Phil, Caius, Marc-"

"Caius and I do not dislike you. We find you interesting, uncontrollable," Marcus said.

"It is true," Caius said.

"You know that_ I_ like you," Phil said.

"I just like your-" Felix tried to say, my _attributes_, but Emmett stopped him.

"Dude, one more comment about Bella's butt or boobs and I am going to shred you. Do not talk about my sister that way," he threatened. I just sat there. Then I stood up, slowly. "I want chocolate," I said.

"Here," Rein threw me a piece of chocolate.

"How did you-?"

"I went to get it last night after you left my office. I got it in case you had a craving," he laughed.

I took a large bite, "I love you, Rein," I laughed. "My gosh… This is the best chocolate ever!"

Rein looked down. "Well… It isn't just chocolate, Bella." I probably looked so confused.

"Ooooh, the doctor drugged Bella," Felix said.

"No… There's blood mixed in," he said sheepish.

I got up and hugged him. "Just, please tell me it isn't human," I said.

Rein looked guilty.

"Rein!"

"I'm sorry, Bella, but you did say that it was your favorite… It's AB-," he finished.

I just looked at him. Then, I took another bite.

Phil laughed. "I thought you only did animal blood?" he accused.

"Well, one time-"

"…At band camp," Emmett said. We both giggled. Well, I giggled while Emmett shook the entire castle.

"I… Well, in the beginning of my teenage rebellion, I went to the hospital where Carlisle worked and I stole a bag of the rare AB- because I heard it was the best," I admitted. The room at large laughed, save for Jake.

"That's gross, Bells."

"Actually, it was better than chocolate, but this," I took another bite. "This is the best thing that has ever entered my mouth." Felix was about to comment, but I threw one of Jacob's shoes at him. Jake's shoes had been at the very edge of his cage, the only hard thing within reach. I looked down at the empty rapper and frowned. "Where did you get this horrible stuff?" I asked.

Rein laughed. "I have a friend who makes candy for the humans. He tells them he wears red contacts."

I laughed so hard I fell down, which made Emmett and Jazz crack up, too.

"He wants to meet you, actually. He says that that was the strangest order he has ever gotten and that he wants to meet the little monster that requested it. His name is James," Rein added.

I stopped… "Did you tell him my name?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I told him your name was Bella. He asked about your last name," Rein said. He was wondering why I asked.

"What did you tell him?" I asked.

"That you can't decide-"

"Well, damn," I said. I shook my head.

"You know James?" Emmett, Jasper, and Rein all said.

I got out through my giggles, "He's… my… ex. Ha, ha, ha. He… works in a… human candy store?" I couldn't believe it.

"Yes. Your ex?" Rein asked.

"Yes, sadly," I said suddenly serious. **Dare ya to say that five times fast…**

"What happened?" Jasper asked.

"He got a little frisky, if you know what I mean."

"He tried to…?" I Emmett asked.

"Yep… I told him that it was a little early in the relationship to give him my virginity," I laughed.

"You're a virgin?" Emmett asked.

"Little personal for a brother to ask, isn't it?" I teased. "But, yeah," I laughed.

"I can help you with that," Phil said, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Why don't you go pimp a bimbo?" I suggested. He just winked. I shook my head.

I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go  
Good girls go bad

I know your type  
(Your type)  
You're daddy's little girl  
Just take a bite  
(One bite)  
Let me shake up your world  
'Cause just one night couldn't be so wrong  
I'm gonna make you lose control

She was so shy  
Till I drove her wild

I make them good girls go bad  
I make them good girls go bad

Because I had set my phone to tone if I got a call, my ringtone played aloud while my friend, Angela Weber called me. Only Emmett, Phil, and Jake had ever heard the song before and they all cracked up. I had the same tone for every call because I just loved that song.

"Hello?" I answered, giggling.

"Bella? Is that you?"

"Who else could it be on my phone, Ang?" I asked. I was trying to control my laughing but Emmett was singing the song now.

She laughed. "Well, I just haven't heard you laugh like that since Mike tripped over Rosalie's foot."

There is a story in that. See, Mike had been stalking me and I hadn't said anything to anyone, but everyone could see. So, one day Mike is walking to me all "cool" looking he probably thought and Rosalie tripped him. He fell into my food nose first.

"That _was_ a funny day," I said.

"Speaking of Mike, actually, he is about to call the police squad to resurrect a search team for you."

"No friggin' way."

"He is. Mike is going crazy thinking some psycho killers kidnapped you." I looked around at the room of vampires and thought of how I am kidnapped, sort of, and they are killers. Emmett and I were thinking the same thing and this brought on more giggles.

"I'm fine."

"I assumed you would be. You can take care of yourself pretty well. You just haven't been to school at all this week and today is Saturday so I thought I would call to check up," she said.

"Thanks, Angela. I'm okay."

"Where are you? I checked by your house and you-"

"…Are not home. Yeah. I am actually on a little vacation right now, but I can't say where. Not even my family knows," I admitted.

"Oh, well I am hanging out with Ben right now so I kinda need to go."

"You two are so cute."

"Thanks, Bella. Bye." I closed my phone.

"People just keep calling you, Miss Popular," Edward said.

"People care about me," as I said it, I realized it for the first time. I mean, I had known, but the _realization_ had just hit me.

"They do, Bella," Jasper said. He could probably feel the doubt I had and the new sensation of knowing that it was the truth.

I hadn't really looked at Jazz, _really_ looked. He had battle scars all over, vampire teeth marks, and his eyes were fading from red to black. I remembered what Emmett had said about Jasper not being able to carry me because of my intoxicating smell. "Jasper," I started. "When did you last hunt?" He seemed to think for only a second. My family can go at least two weeks without hunting, but here they each hunt at least once a week and it's human blood. Jazz must've been on withdrawal right now.

"It's been about a week. Why?"

"Your eyes," I said.

"Oh… I guess I just haven't thought about it. I mean, a werewolf and a one-of-a-kind vampire/human on my mind… All the raging emotions," he looked at me then, at my neck. He grabbed his throat. "I think you should go hunt," I said. But it was too late. It all happened so fast. I don't blame Jasper; after all I was the one who brought it up when he was doing just fine.

He jumped for me, but something… someone… close by knocked me out of the way. My head hit the concrete and I was out.

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**AN: Who pushed Bella out of Jasper's way? If you get it right, and tell me your name in a review, I will use your name a few times in this story. Think about who it could have been. **_**Really**_** think about it. It may not be who you think, or it may. Put the pieces together.  
**

**I won't be posting another chapter of this story today. I need to work on **_**The Giving Gift**_**. Since I have posted 5 chapters these past few days, I have only gotten 2 reviews… People have set me to Alerts and Favorites, but nothing beats a review… I want 5 reviews. If you want this story to have a chapter soon, ya better review me. 8-) I really would like to hear how I am doing with this story.**

**Plus, I have a character who needs a name…**


	10. Enter Arlene

**AN: I made a new story**_**, Love Is Timeless**_**… I lurve it and it is doing really well for only being up a few days.**

**Congratulations to the wonderful **_**ArleneValdez**_** for guessing the correct answer on who hit Bella! Go Arlene! You rock my socks off! I hope you enjoy your character... She makes me laugh... Sorry this is such a short chappy. I have to go to bed in a few minutes but I wanted this chapter posted, plus it was only the introduction of Arlene to this story.  
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**_I hadn't really looked at Jazz, _really_ looked. He had battle scars all over, vampire teeth marks, and his eyes were fading from red to black. I remembered what Emmett had said about Jasper not being able to carry me because of my intoxicating smell. "Jasper," I started. "When did you last hunt?" He seemed to think for only a second. My family can go at least two weeks without hunting, but here they each hunt at least once a week and it's human blood. Jazz must've been on withdrawal right now._

"_It's been about a week. Why?"_

"_Your eyes," I said._

"_Oh… I guess I just haven't thought about it. I mean, a werewolf and a one-of-a-kind vampire/human on my mind… All the raging emotions," he looked at me then, at my neck. He grabbed his throat. "I think you should go hunt," I said. But it was too late. It all happened so fast. I don't blame Jasper; after all I was the one who brought it up when he was doing just fine._

_He jumped for me, but something… someone… close by knocked me out of the way. My head hit the concrete and I was out._

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_**10. Enter Arlene **

The bed I was in was comfortable. It certainly felt better than the concrete floor. Replaying the scene in my head over and over, I saw why the things happened the way they had.

Jasper had felt his throat, the burning, that I had brought his attention to, for the first time since I had gotten here. Looking back, Jasper's eyes had been red, but fading to black when I saw him as one of the Volturi looking at me from under the tree the first day I was here. It made sense, like I said, looking back.

Jasper had been feeling the emotions from me everyone around me for two whole days now, but he was pushing his ability to the limit by keeping Jacob, the werewolf who couldn't be allowed to transform, calm. Jasper had lunged for me and lost his calming effect on Jacob entirely. It made sense that Jake, my new friend, would be affected by the fact that a vampire, his enemy, was about to kill me.

Jacob pushed me out of the way.

I had been standing in front of his cage at the time, talking to Jasper about his hunting, the need for it. Jacob had pushed me out of the way and I had passed out for the millionth time today. I wasn't aware if Jacob had any injuries or anything. Maybe Jasper had hurt him…

But I couldn't blame this on Jazzy. This was entirely my fault. Jasper had been too preoccupied with the emotions and the conversation going on around him to notice that he was thirsty. I had brought that fact to the forefront of his attention; he had let go of everything else to go after the mouthwatering half human half vampire in the room and it was my fault. I knew he would feel badly about what he had almost done, but the point was that he hadn't done anything so no blood, no problem…

I decided it was time to open my eyes. What surprised me was the pair of eyes above me! They were a turquoise color!

"Well… You look like shit," the woman said. She looked to be about twenty, but I knew that she was a vampire. Her hair was a dark brown and had a curl to it. She was really pretty, even for a vampire.

She was blunt… We would get along well, I could see.

"How much like shit?"

"… I'd say it's not too bad but you don't look good. My name is Arlene, by the way. I already know yours is Bella so hello, Bella. I bet it was nice to see me when you first woke up-"

"And you told me I looked like shit," I added.

"Yeah… I'm sorry about that… Well, not really 'cause it's true, but you know… Rein told me to come make sure you were okay. He seems to really care about you," she said. Arlene seemed like a full-vampire version of me, minus the turquoise eyes. Speaking of…

"Why are your-"

"Eyes a blue-green mess?" She asked.

"They're not a mess. I think they are pretty cool," I said.

"It's my ability. My eyes change color according to how my mood is. It's like a mood ring except it's my eyes. It's really bizarre," she explained.

"What does turquoise mean?"

"It means that I am bored. Girl, you been sleepin' for a whole twelve hours! I have been here making sure you weren't gonna die or some mess, though, I know about your situation so I didn't think you will die. I got bored." Even as she said this, I could see her eyes turning into lavender purple. I was just about to ask, but she said, "Lavender, right?"

I nodded.

"Lavender means that I am in comfort mode; it means that I am laid back, chillin'. My eyes are always right, so this means that you and I are going to be friends, even though-"

"Even though I look like shit," I said. I was smiling ear to ear. I really like this Arlene…

"Exactly, B."

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**AN: I just lurve the character Arlene! She is such a mess, but she is awesome! I lurve her ability. I wonder what her eating habits are...? Stay tuned.**

**Review.  
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	11. I'm Awake So What Now?

**AN: My school starts back tomorrow. What this means is that my updates will not be as frequent as they have been this past week. I'm sorry for this, I really am. I enjoy writing my stories. I am updating all of them today so each one will be around 1,000 words or so. I needed to give each story something before I get to a point where updates won't be so often.**

**Disclaimer: I don't need to fill this space, honestly.**

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**_"It's my ability. My eyes change color according to how my mood is. It's like a mood ring except it's my eyes. It's really bizarre," she explained._

_"What does turquoise mean?"_

_"It means that I am bored. Girl, you been sleepin' for a whole twelve hours! I have been here making sure you weren't gonna die or some mess, though, I know about your situation so I didn't think you will die. I got bored." Even as she said this, I could see her eyes turning into lavender purple. I was just about to ask, but she said, "Lavender, right?"_

_I nodded._

_"Lavender means that I am in comfort mode; it means that I am laid back, chillin'. My eyes are always right, so this means that you and I are going to be friends, even though-"_

_"Even though I look like shit," I said. I was smiling ear to ear. I really like this Arlene…_

_"Exactly, B."_

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**11. I'm Awake So What Now?**

Arlene and I talked for a long time. She told me about how she had been with the Volturi for only a few months but she had been a vampire for a long time. She told me she was a human drinker but she didn't feel bad about it because she hunted down rapists because they are "just wrong".

I told her about my adventure from Forks to here and what I was, everything. I told her everything I told Rein. She seemed like the kind of friend who will tell you when you, well, look like shit and she wouldn't let anyone else tell you that. Arlene was easy to talk to. She laughed at the weirdest things and she told me I needed to get out as soon as I could because Aro wouldn't ever let me leave if I didn't leave now.

My opening up to her just came naturally. It was like she was the second friend, the other one being Rein, who would be here with me through this whole thing. I felt bad because she was trapped just like Rein and she didn't want the same thing to happen to me. I knew that both of them would go through Endless Jane Torture for me. Alec wouldn't hurt either of them.

"Ah, Bella, you're awake," Rein said, coming in the door. I was back in my healing room from the first day I had been here.

"Hi, Rein. Where's Jacob? Where's Jasper? Where is everybody?"

"Wow, girl, you needs to slow ya roll down just a bit. I think sexy Rein here is gonna burst from all the brainpower," Arlene said. Man, I love that girl, let me just say.

"Thank you, Arlene, for that… Whatever that was-" Rein said. He was shaking his head slightly.

"Are you two friends?" I asked. It seemed so obvious now that they would be.

"We are actually-" Rein began.

"Shoot girl, you got brain damage? Why wouldn't I be friends with that hunk of vampy goodness?" Arlene licked her lips and winked at Rein. He just smiled and shook his head again. Awe! He was embarrassed. Girls… How adorable is that? Like, really.

"How are you feeling?" Rein asked.

"I feel fine-"

"She looks like-"

"Arlene, could you please give Bella and me some time?" He asked with a smile.

"Ooooh, yes, doctor I will leave you to your patient," she put patient in quotation marks. She winked at me and pointed to Rein on her way out. I couldn't help but blush and look down.

"To answer your questions, Jasper is feeling very guilt-ridden right now-"

"No! It's my fault, Rein. He has nothing to be guilty about. Plus, he didn't do any damage because Jacob saved me! Tell him-"

"You can tell him yourself, Bella. Everyone is on their way. Word got around that you were awake-"

"Arlene."

"She is quite the lively girl. Reminds me of you," he said. I laughed. He laughed, too. We were having a moment, a connection. He was looking into my eyes, leaning, and then:

"BELLA!"

"Emmett, ow, EMMETT, let go!"

"Sorry, Bella, but you almost died _again_!" He had grabbed me into the bear hug that only Emmett can give. He was crushing the air out of me.

"Bella, I want to apologize. If you want me to leave, I will-" Jasper began. I flung myself at him so that I could give him a big hug, and shut him up. He was hesitant, but he hugged back.

"Jazzy, I don't want you to leave. It was all my fault! I was being stupid; I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry," I said. I was begging for forgiveness, but I couldn't help it.

He laughed. "I almost bite you and you apologize to me, is that correct?"

"Yeah," I said shaking my head as if it should have been obvious.

"I am quite glad that you are alright," I heard Aro say. I turned to him. He was smiling.

"Thanks to Jacob," I replied. His eyes changed somewhat. "So where is Jake?"

"Jacob Black is right back in a cell. Only this one is more protected against dogs," Edward said. I looked at him. How could someone be so heartless? How? What happened to him? Did anything happen or is he just that way because he can be? "I doubt a picture would last longer if you took it, but it might help you," he said.

I growled involuntarily. I tried to recover by asking Aro, "Why won't you let him go? He saved me. The least I can do is try to help him leave-"

"He doesn't want to leave. His exact words were 'Not without Bella'. I think he likes you," Edward said.

"Sounds like someone is jealous," Emmett said.

"Edward Volturi doesn't have enough heart or emotion to be jealous of anyone, especially a werewolf who he hates in the first place," I said looking Edward in the eyes. I couldn't deny that he was beautiful, on the outside, and he was mesmerizing to me. I couldn't look away. But appearances can be deceiving.

Edward Volturi should be ugly, that's all there is to it, but I can't wish for such things because I feel a draw. It's a draw that I don't have with Rein or Jacob. It's completely different with Edward because I don't want to feel this draw, but I do. With Rein and Jacob, I want to feel a draw, and I do, but it isn't electric.

Not like it is with Edward; not as dangerous. I couldn't look away…

And he smiled.

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**AN: I hope you enjoyed it. I just want to apologize again for the future. I've no clue when I will be able to update. I'm sorry… **

**YOU know you want to REVIEW.**

**~Sylvia**


	12. The Night We Connected

**AN: See? You will never know when or when won't update. I had time so I updated this story. If I have time I will move on to my others. This chapter will be longer than the ones before it because I wanted to do longer chapters but I didn't have the time. I wanted to take this time to say that I don't curse. Only cursing that I do in writing is because I feel that the character would do it. I only curse when I get really angry but I try not to. I think I will do less of it in writing because I just don't like it; I really don't.**

**Enjoy!**

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**"_Edward Volturi doesn't have enough heart or emotion to be jealous of anyone, especially a werewolf who he hates in the first place," I said looking Edward in the eyes. I couldn't deny that he was beautiful, on the outside, and he was mesmerizing to me. I couldn't look away. But appearances can be deceiving._

_Edward Volturi should be ugly, that's all there is to it, but I can't wish for such things because I feel a draw. It's a draw that I don't have with Rein or Jacob. It's completely different with Edward because I don't want to feel this draw, but I do. With Rein and Jacob, I want to feel a draw, and I do, but it isn't electric._

_Not like it is with Edward; not as dangerous. I couldn't look away…_

_And he smiled._

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_**12. The Night We Connected**

The day had been a blur to me. After the smile that Edward had given, I had melted. Arlene had come in and practically told Aro that she was going to show me around the castle today and that was the end of it. He gave her a look that clearly said "you may but don't assume you will get your way so easily all the time". Arlene had rolled her eyes and Rein had smiled and shook his head. Emmett, Jasper, and Rein all gave me a hug before I went with Arlene for the day. I wouldn't be seeing them again that day, I supposed. Was there really so much to see?

As it turned out, there was. Arlene took me to see the corridors on the other side of the castle, a few floors up, everywhere. I believe I saw every inch of the castle. Everything was full of intricacy and complexity that rivaled designs of great empires. Marble floors and precious artwork were everywhere. It was really spectacular. I couldn't believe such an evil place could be so, well, beautiful. But then again, Edward was evil and he was a piece of artwork.

Okay, why am I thinking about that scum-bag? And in a good way?

"Something is bothering you," Arlene said with a sideways glance at me. "I think I know what it is, too," she added. Her eyes were a light yellow. I put together that it meant "sympathetic".

"Maybe or maybe not," was my mysterious reply.

"Well, the look on your face means you are deep in thought-"

"Oh really, does it now?" I joked with a laugh. She was acting like a psychiatrist and it was hilarious. Her eyes narrowed at me but she started to laugh, too. We didn't start talking again for some time. We were on the top floor now, near a large window overlooking a large part of Volterra. It was beautiful outside as it was inside. There seemed to be a magic that held me on end. It was all so surreal but I was standing in it, at the heart. The events that led me here were so strange.

First, I just happen to overhear a conversation between two werewolves about an assassination attempt on an indestructible vampire. Then, I fly on a plane halfway across the world to Volterra, Italy. I get shot for a man that is evil. I see the vampire that murdered my father and now he wants me. I get taken hostage by Aro Volturi, the leader of the whole operation as far as vampires are concerned. And now, now I am just waiting. I am waiting for what comes next. I can't even believe that Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie, and Alice aren't here by now. Don't get me wrong, it's better that they don't know, but things were working too much into my favor. Alice couldn't see my future so she didn't know. But they would be back from their shopping spree by now. Why hadn't they gotten suspicious? Had they extended their trip? Had they talked to Esme and Carlisle?

"I can display emotions through my eyes, Bella. I can see emotions on an open book, trust me. What's up?" Arlene asked. She had been walking away, but then she saw that I was still staring out the large window over Volterra, thinking, staring. It couldn't hurt to tell her a part of it all.

"I'm trapped, aren't I, Arlene? You should know better than anyone besides Rein," I said desperately.

"Yes. I am not going to lie to you, Bella. You are trapped, for how long I've got no clue. Only Aro knows that, but you have me and you have Rein to talk to. Just know that. It's true that not all of us are evil," she said with a small sad smile. "Even if we do drink human people," she added. I laughed lightly at that.

"Thanks-"

"I don't understand it, really. I mean, _anyone_ can see that you are special. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that. But Aro seems to actually _like_ you. He shows you a kindness that he doesn't ever show _anyone_, not even Edward, his only son," she looked at me then and tilted her head. "Edward can't read your mind and that has never happened before. Aro can't get through, either. He sees you and he doesn't know what to make of you. At least that's what Rein and I say. Aro sees you as a mystery to be solved and he doesn't think about what you want and yet he treats you well."

"I want to leave, Arlene," I was already defeated in that and she already knew that, but she understood me.

"I know you do."

"Jacob should have left," I said forcefully. Arlene gave a large laugh and rolled her eyes. She was so strange, in a good way; it was refreshing. "What?"

"Nothing, Bella; it's just the fact that you are totally blind to everything," she said loudly.

"I don't follow, oh wise one," I said sarcastically.

"Jacob likes you. He _likes_ you, likes you. You didn't see what all happened because you were passed out, but he would _not_ leave without you going with him. I don't know what has happened between you two in these two days but he likes you. He might even love you," she said.

I laughed loudly, "You are delusional."

"Am I? What exactly _did_ happen?"

"I brought him food," I said.

"What else?" she pushed.

"We talked."

"About what did you talk?" she asked, prying. She was getting frustrated with me.

"I told him that I, like him, am a prisoner here. I told him that I would do what I could to get him out but I didn't know if I would be allowed to leave," I said.

"Hmmmm," she said thinking. "It sounds like you became friends," she said.

"I suppose," I conceded.

"Maybe he wants more. Did you think of that?"

"He doesn't. After all, I am half of what his enemy is-"

"But you also smell extremely good so you don't stink like vampires do to him. You are beautiful. Don't interrupt me," she said, stopping me. "You are captivating; you really are which is why Aro is keeping you. Jacob Black was lost in you before you opened your mouth to speak," she added.

"You are helpless," I replied shortly.

"Maybe, but I don't have five vampires and a werewolf that want me," she said. I stopped staring into the distance and looked at her blankly. She rolled her eyes and threw her hands into the air. "You already know Jacob so let's start with Aro," she said. "He doesn't _want_ you, want you like to love you, but he _does_ want to keep you for his own," she said.

"Okay so that's Aro," I said. "That's only one and he doesn't really want me. He wants to _collect_ me," I added.

"Let me finish. Number two, Phil-"

"Phil and I have a complicated past, Arlene. He doesn't want me; he wants my mother," I said.

"Maybe so, Bella, but you don't see the way he looks at you! Yes, I will admit that it is repulsive the way he looks at you but he does look and he _does_ want you. Don't interrupt; I am not done. Next is Felix-"

"Felix can go shove his-"

"Bella, yes, I know! Felix is just as bad as Phil. I know that, but like I said, they still want you. Next is Rein," she said. I just looked at her, mouth open. "Don't even try to deny that you two would have kissed had Emmett not jumped you," she said. "And you were going to let him," she added with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

"I don't know what you mean," I said, folding my arms and looking up. She laughed loudly.

"Come on, Bella! Every one of us saw him leaning in; he was going to kiss you and you wanted him to."

"I feel close to Rein-"

"Yeah, I know," she said. Once again she was wiggling her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes, smiling.

"I won't deny that I feel a connection, there. It isn't electric-"

"Like it is with Edward," she said.

"What?! No, you have _that _all wrong-"

"Do I, Bella? Do I _really_?" I thought about that for a moment. Edward didn't like me. He liked skank-joint ho-bags that hung over him 24/7. He wouldn't think twice about me, would he? No. And I don't want to think about him.

She left me thinking and continued, "What you have with Rein is _something;_ it is, but it is _not_ what you have with Edward."

"Edward Volturi and I don't have _anything_, Arlene. Drop it," I said. Venom was practically leaking from my voice like a faucet that hadn't been turned all the way off. She seemed shaken for a second and her eyes turned to a light pink color. "What does pink mean?"

"It means that I am hurt. But, girl, I know it's just a matter of time. You can't see it because you are oblivious, but I can see it on you. You have an open book, I am telling you. You have seen Rein and Edward arguing. I will admit that they _are_ never,_ have_ never, and _will_ never be close, but you bring them to an edge that makes them taunt each other. I haven't smelt so much testosterone in this castle in a long time. Granted, I haven't been here a long time, but still. You get me. The way I see it, simply put, you have Rein and you have Edward. Then you have Jacob. Then you have Phil and lastly, Felix, because I know that you two would never work out," she said.

I couldn't disagree. Her logic seemed spot-on, but I didn't want to admit to myself that I did have feelings for Edward. The feelings were mixed, granted, but they were there. "Thank you," I said.

She laughed, "Yeah, I know that I am great, now come on. We have more to see," she said. It was great how she could be so out-there and then be all down-here and serious to help me. What she said was thought-provoking and something I would have to mull over for a while.

We saw the rest of the castle and went outside. It was immaculate with flowers in every color. It was as if there were no vampires, which was what the humans believed.

It was dark outside when we finally finished. Arlene had told me some of the history, but I wasn't really listening that much. My thoughts were consumed by other things. When she talked about herself, I would listen intently. She told me how she was changed by a vampire that she didn't know. She had been walking alone one night and the last she remembered was a shadow before the pain of her change came. She had started off scared and drank from humans whenever she wanted. Arlene hadn't had any control but she began feeding off the humans she believed deserved it. She had stumbled upon this place and she had been accepted in, but she hadn't known at the time that she wouldn't be allowed to leave freely. Turns out that the Volturi knew of her feeding methods and they believed that she would uncover them all. That was why she had been kept here, to keep the secret a secret; she was a danger to exposure. It seemed logical and she was okay with it, somewhat.

Lying in bed I was thinking about the day. As I said before, it had been a blur and I couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Rein, Edward, and Jacob and so on were in my head. Aro was in my thoughts as well. How could he not be? He had imprisoned me.

I got up and decided to take a walk, to clear my head.

Walking the corridors, I was silent and looking down. It was dark in some parts of the castle and others were lit. I tried to keep to the shadows. When I was rounding a corner, I bumped into something hard and slightly cold. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"You might think about looking up when you walk," the voice offered. It was a cold voice, but it was velvety smooth and I held onto it for dear life. It was Edward's.

"I will try to remember that," I sneered as I moved to the left to go around him. I walked into another solid thing. It took a moment to register that he was blocking my path on purpose. "Let me by, Edward," I said.

"Why?"

"Because I want by," I said.

"No, I mean, why are up walking around? Don't you sleep?" he sneered, but he was also curious and a bit amused.

"Yes," I said, matching his cold voice. I couldn't understand why he was being so cold to me when I hadn't done anything to him. In fact, I had saved his un-life. I deserved to be cold to him.

"Then you should be in bed, shouldn't you?" he asked. It was so dark that I couldn't see anything but his outline. The only reason I could see that was because of my half-vamp sight.

"Can't sleep," I said shortly. I tried to step around him but again he blocked my path.

"Why is that?"

"None of your business," I said back. I couldn't tell him that he was the reason I couldn't sleep. "Why do you care anyways? It's not like you even appreciate me for anything," I sneered.

"Why should I?"

"Because that's what any other 'person' would do," I said.

"I am not the other 'person' that you speak of, Bella," a shiver ran down my spine and into my core as he said my name. It was gentle but fiery and dangerous, and I liked it. He brought a hand to my face. It was slightly cooler than my skin because he was a full vampire and I was only half. I felt a spark, an electrical attraction. It was a connection. In that moment, Edward Volturi and Bella 'no-last-name' connected. He cupped my face and whispered into my ear, "You should go sleep, now, Bella," I shivered again and he let out a husky laugh. Before I could answer, he was gone.

Surprisingly, I did as he had instructed, and before I knew it my head was on my pillow and I was dreaming of red eyes, a crooked smile, and a sneering voice.

They were Edward's.

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**AN: I hope you liked it. I have no clue when I can update again but I hope this was worth the wait. Edward is trying to fight his feelings for Bella but his curiosity about her is winning… slightly. Bella doesn't want to want Edward but she can't help it.**

**Review.**


	13. Sparks Die, Not Fly, But Up They Go

**IMPORTANT****: I added new sentences and such throughout this chapter as well as at the end of it and posted it in the place of the original chapter. I also changed the title.**

**AN: I have noticed a decline in Reviews for this story. Feedback is really appreciated if you get the chance. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Yes, I have written five books and I am now worldly-known to everyone. I got bored and decided to change parts of my story on a fan site… Yeah right.**

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**"_I am not the other 'person' that you speak of, Bella," a shiver ran down my spine and into my core as he said my name. It was gentle but fiery and dangerous, and I liked it. He brought a hand to my face. It was slightly cooler than my skin because he was a full vampire and I was only half. I felt a spark, an electrical attraction. It was a connection. In that moment, Edward Volturi and Bella 'no-last-name' connected. He cupped my face and whispered into my ear, "You should go sleep, now, Bella," I shivered again and he let out a husky laugh. Before I could answer, he was gone._

_Surprisingly, I did as he had instructed, and before I knew it my head was on my pillow and I was dreaming of red eyes, a crooked smile, and a sneering voice._

_They were Edward's._

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_**13. Sparks Die, Not Fly, But Up They Go**

What I didn't know was the amount of time I spent walking in the pond.

Yes, I had been walking in a pond. I wasn't wearing any clothing, either, my skin was bare, naked- two things that were out of character for me. I tend to be clothed outside my room of comfort and I most certainly don't walk through ponds, ever. It was midnight, I guessed from the dark color of the sky and the fact that I couldn't see anything. The water was silent except for the soothing sloshes as I waded through it. The water was about waist-high on me and it was surprisingly easy to move through. Why I was in this pond didn't make sense. There weren't any stars and there wasn't a moon. It was black and the darkness was never-ending, but it seemed that I was searching for something and the only way to it was by walking in this pond.

It was a large pond and I didn't know how or why I was here, in the pond. It seemed I had been walking through it for hours; it was a large pond, as I said. I hadn't even stopped to think about why I was here or why I was in a pond, more importantly. None of it made sense to me and still I was wading, slowly, toward the unknown destination. I followed my feet and I was silent, which was also out of character. Normally, if this had happened I would have been cursing the darkness for not letting me see, cursing the pond for being so cold in this low-temperature night, and cursing myself- and anything that was or wasn't listening to me- for being here in the dead of night with no time, sound, or clue.

The walk was slow, hindered by the water as it got harder to wade through. It was getting tougher and tougher to walk at an easy pace and the water seemed to be getting hit with waves, knocking me around. The water was rising, up, up, up. It was just above my navel, now, and still rising up. Stars were appearing out of the dark sky and light was slowing coming in, fading in and out as it came clearer. There wasn't a moon until I looked down at the water and saw a crescent moon's moving form, the image flowing on the water as the waves hit against the water that was now just below my breasts and still rising. It didn't occur to be to yell for help; no one was within hearing range. I was going to die at the waves of the water in this nothing-night. Nothing made sense and I was still looking for something, someone, expecting an arrival or a revelation of some sorts.

That's when it happened; the first splash of water entered my mouth. It was salty and I didn't want to swallow, but it kept coming as the waves became more insistent. The fight between myself and the waves was on as the water came up to my neck, my chin.

I saw figures.

Their outlines were big, like shadows, falling on the water. I saw a cliff to my right, in my peripheral vision and they were on top, looking down on me with wide smiles. Their eyes were all happy, watching me drown. Distinctly, I could make out Rein's face and so I called, "Rein!" but no sound left my mouth. The cracking of the hard waves on the cliff and on my body were bringing me back and forth moving me. I fought for balance. Again, I tried, "Rein!" and there was no sound, he only smiled down on me and watched with amusement as I fought against the waves and the water crashing into me, into my mouth. It seemed that I was only human, in this. I couldn't speed my way out and there was no rescue for me at my own hand; I needed help. The figures and Rein seemed to not care about my death and I knew I would die. Still, I was searching for something, but I couldn't look anymore. It was my death filling my lungs, my ears. I fought to bring myself above the water. I pushed up and I was above it, swimming. I wasn't even concerned with the fact that I was naked, even though Rein and the other figures could see me through the clear water. It was even bright enough, now, with the added light from the moon and the stars.

I tried calling for help again but I couldn't; the sound wouldn't come. I was going to die in this pond. Then it struck me, why were there waves in a pond? Why was there a cliff beside this helpless pond? I took a huge stroke and looked around in a frantic. As I had imagined, the pond had changed along with the night scenery. It was now an ocean and it was full of rising waves and tides all headed to my direction! I was in a panic and time slowed for a bit. I looked up to the figures again and I noticed Jake was there. To no avail I called, "Jacob, help!" but it did no good, he only smiled down at my demise in the waves.

Why would they do this to me? How could they? My journey to find whatever I was looking for before was forgotten, now. I was concerned with how I would survive this when they wouldn't help me; in fact they were anticipating my death.

The water sucked me down again. I was too tired to fight it as it sucked me deeper into it's abyss. My eyes were open under the water as I was fading out and I saw another face, clearly, with the others on the cliff. It was Edward Volturi's and he alone looked desperate to save me. It was as if his attitude had changed places with Jake and Rein's and he had taken on both of theirs. He was struggling to get to me, but Rein and Jake, along with other faces that I couldn't see, were keeping him back.

As I began to see white dots, my vision blurring, the last sight I saw was Edward Volturi's eyes; they were red and filled with hate once more. And then I died. He smiled.

"NO!" I screamed. I was sweating and crying and screaming as I sat upright in my bed. I didn't open my eyes. The light was too bright; I was too thankful that it hadn't all been real. _It was just a stupid dream_, I cried. I sat there in silence as my sobs and tears flowed through me.

"That must have been _some_ dream," Emmett said in a low tone across the room from me. I screamed a blood-curdling scream at the sound of his voice. As I looked up, I saw the faces of Em, Jazzy, Aro, Caius, Marcus, Phil, Felix, Demetri, Rein, Alec, and Edward. In short- I saw the faces I least wanted to see at this moment and none of the faces I wanted to see- Rosalie, Alice, Esme, Carlisle, Arlene. I cried hard, to point where my whole body shook with my sobs. They must have heard me talking in my sleep. How long had they been there? I was too distraught to be angry that they were there in my room and I hadn't let them in.

"Morning, Emmy," I said, sniffling, once I was able to talk.

"You okay?"

"No," I answered truthfully.

"That was an awful dream, I can tell," Jasper said. He actually shivered. I looked at him and nodded a few times. He smiled a sad smile and I let out a sharp breath that I had been holding in for a few seconds, trying to calm myself down a little bit. It worked, surprisingly. I got up and walked across the room, ignoring the eyes that followed me. I looked into the mirror on the wall and saw that I looked, well, awful, though, Arlene would have told me something different in a more Arlene way.

"Wow," I stated. Tears stained my face and my hair was matted to my hair and back. I was, well, dead-looking. My tank-top and short-shorts that I had worn to bed were soaked in my sweat and I felt gross. _Shower_, I thought, _definitely and ASAP_.

"You don't look that bad," Alec said. He grimaced when I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't I?" I challenged him back. He just smiled and nodded that I was right, well duh. Look at me. I shook my head. "Wow," I repeated, looking in the mirror.

"You talk in your sleep," Emmett said with a silly grin.

I grimaced, "Do I, now?"

He laughed, "Help me, help me! Rein! Jake! Edward! Save me! I am dying!" he said in a perfect impression of my voice. Stupid vampire big-brother. I grimaced again.

"Pshh, that was _not_ what I said," I lied. I am a terrible liar.

He just laughed more and the others joined in, all of them. I blushed so bad I bet my head looked like a cherry. I grimaced again. That look was going to be permanent if I didn't stop.

"What were you in need of rescue from, I wonder," Aro said. He was amused by this whole ordeal.

"I was drowning," I answered truthfully.

"Don't you know how to swim?" Phil challenged. "Didn't Carlisle ever teach you?"

"Actually, I taught myself, thank you, Phil."

"No problem, but if you need lessons on how to _swim_ correctly, just ask me and I will _show_ you," he said. I didn't miss the implied meaning. I decided to play back because I was tired of his bull-poopy.

"I know how to _swim_ correctly, but you shall never see," I said twitching my finger from side to side.

"You say that _now_," he jested. I was tired of his game.

"Can you, like, leave?" I asked lamely. I needed a shower badly. I could hear the pipes calling me- "Bella, Bella, Bella…"

"Why would I want to leave? I am having fun." Phil laughed. It gave me chills.

"I don't know."

"Then I am not leaving," he said.

"Get out!"

"No."

I growled at him and he smiled and winked. I decided to just ignore them all- especially Edward- and take my shower. The warm water felt like bliss and I enjoyed it for over an hour. Arlene had given me several articles of clothing so I was set on that. When I was done, I wrapped a towel around me, holding it in front with my hand, and walked out into my room. After an hour they had to have left already, right?

"Nice." It was Felix's voice and it was drawn-out, appreciatively. I turned around and almost dropped my towel. Thank you vampire reflexes!

"Oh my- What the- Why- It's been over an hour!" I screamed. I was beat red and the blue towel was my lifeline. I was struck-dumb, mouth open. They were all still there, hadn't moved an inch since I had entered the bathroom.

"I feel so wrong right now," Emmett said. He was trying hard not to look at me but his eyes strayed. It wasn't a big towel. It only covered the important parts. This was awkward beyond measure.

"It isn't my fault!" I screamed. I was angry now. This was _my _space. If I was to be trapped in this place _I would have my own space_! "This is my room! If I have to be here, I need this space!" I growled.

"That color is lovely with your skin, especially with the blush on your face and neck," Edward said in a mocking tone. Was he trying to make me angry?! I growled loudly and hissed at him. He brought out the worst in me. I was so embarrassed. He just smiled his crooked smile at me. That was it, I was mad. I could bite his head off, but I thought better of it.

"We heard you calling for help this morning and just wanted to check on you," Alec said. He sounded so sad! Why did I have to do that to him?

"Oh, it's alright, Alec. I have a temper and I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said.

I took a deep breath and walked to my wardrobe and opened the doors. I looked at the clothing Arlene had given me. _She sure does like to show skin, that Arlene_, I thought. There was a green tank-top that reminded me of home so I decided to wear it and a pair of faded, holey jeans. I grabbed a fresh bra and some underwear, too. I didn't even look at them even though I could feel their eyes on me as I moved to the bathroom once again. I changed into the clothes and ran a borrowed brush through my hair. I brushed my teeth with a toothbrush that Arlene had gotten for me. When I decided there was nothing more I could do, I threw the towel over the shower top and opened the door to find that they were still there. I exhaled. "Hey," I said lamely, sitting on my bed. "There must be some reason you came besides that other excuse so let's hear it," I said. They just stared at me.

"Jacob Black wants to see you," Edward said. He sounded angry; he didn't like Jake at all.

"Oh. Is that all?"

"Well, we did want to check on you," Emmett added.

"And we wanted to ask you something," Jasper said. "It isn't bad. Don't be nervous," he added.

"What is it?"

"Do you want Jacob Black to walk freely among the castle grounds? Or would you rather he remains in a cage? Think about it before you answer. He tried to kill my son so I will have caution out there. I see that it is your decision because you _did_ save Edward. It is up to you, Bella. Jacob refuses to leave here," Aro said. I thought about it.

"Let him go," I said.

"You can't be serious," Edward said. He was questioning my sanity in his features. He was amused, angry, and a little jealous. He was jealous of me for deciding Jake's fate.

"I am," I sneered at him.

"Let Jacob Black free to roam, then," Aro said. It seemed he was talking to himself, but the next moment, Jake was running into my room and hugged me.

"Oh, uh, watch it, Jake, ouch," I said. He was hugging me so hard it hurt.

"Sorry, Bells," he said grinning.

"How does it feel to be a free man, uh, werewolf?" I asked. He laughed and so did Emmett.

"Ah, it feels awesome actually. Thank you."

"Well, it's the least I could do," I said shaking my head at his thanks.

"You are so strange, Bella," he started. "I shot you and you tell Aro Volturi- the Aro Volturi- that I can walk free after almost killing his only son. You have problems," he finished.

"She sure does have problems," Emmett said though he was laughing.

"Well, thank you! It's my passion in this long life to have problems," I said rolling my eyes.

"Now you can die because your life is completed with your problems!" Emmett said. I decided to make a little scene and challenged him to an arm wrestling match. I knew I would lose so I was thinking of some way to trick him. Poor Emmett isn't the smartest kid in the class, I am sorry to say.

"You are going to lose, half-human!"

"That's what you think, vamp!" I yelled. Everyone was laughing at us. I had to admit, it was very juvenile of me but I wanted to get Emmett back for saying I could die because I had problems.

We put our arms on a nightstand and put them up. The room was quiet.

"A thousand dollars says Emmett takes chick down," Felix said.

"I take that!" Emmett said.

"One million says Bella kicks his can across the street," Phil said in a confident tone. I looked at him, "You're betting on me?" He nodded.]

"I take that," Edward said.

"Emmett."

"Emmett."

"Bella."

The others weren't interested in betting. "Emmy," I said innocently. "Are we starting?" I asked with a smile, trying out the whole 'dazzling' thing. He nodded, in his trance and I took him down hard. His arm crushed the table. "Go Bella!" Jacob shouted.

"No fair! Rematch!" Emmett yelled. He was fuming.

"Sorry, Em, no can do!" I ran and he chased me around the room. I screamed when he caught me and put me over his head. "Emmett, put me down now!"

"Sorry, Bells, no can do!" he said. He took the words that I said to him! No fair.

"UGH, Emmett!"

"Emmett, put her down," Rein said laughing.

"NO, my half-human! You can't have her! None of you can!" he said. "MWAHAHAHAHA!"

"Emmett Volturi, you better put me down right now so help me I will hurt you!"

"What you gonna do, silly?!" he yelled.

"I'm gonna do something!" I said lamely. He spun me around over his head and I screamed. "EMMETT!"

"Is there something you wanted to say, Bella?"

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"What?! I can't hear you!"

"I'm sorry!" I yelled and he threw me across the room and onto the bed. It broke with a thump and I laughed. "Em, you broke my bed," I said. I got up and pointed. "Fix it."

"I didn't do that. You did. You fix it," he said with a grin.

"I can't lift it!"

Then, Edward did something that shocked me. He went over to my bed, picked it up, went under it, and put the boards back on. He smiled mockingly. "I saved your bed. You're welcome," he said. I just gazed into his red eyes. I couldn't help but get lost in them. They reminded me that he was a murderer but I couldn't look away. It was the cocky grin that made me sneer at him. He was too confident for no reason at all. For a moment, I saw something in his eyes. It was his eyes that only kept me looking. His mouth was in a sneery, cocky grin, but his eyes were emotionless. He was putting up a front. He wasn't truly feeling what he was showing me. There was something going on inside of him that made him act this way.

I stared into those eyes and imagined the Edward Volturi I had seen in my dream. I could love that Edward. I could _fall in love_ with that Edward.

And somehow, even when he was emotionless, that Edward was in his eyes.

I couldn't look away, I_ wouldn't_.

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**AN: PLEASE, Review. It only takes a second and it makes my day. **


	14. Party Planner

**AN: In my defense, out of my 8 classes the lowest grade I got was a 95 so I am very proud of myself and I appreciate those of you who are still with this story.**

**LISTEN: There are songs in this chapter. This chapter is when Bella really starts to get attached and learns things about herself and how people view her so when a song is introduced, it would be wise to find it and listen so you can get a feel of it all; I wrote it with the intent that someone would listen to the songs. Thanks! 8-)**

**

* * *

**_Then, Edward did something that shocked me. He went over to my bed, picked it up, went under it, and put the boards back on. He smiled mockingly. "I saved your bed. You're welcome," he said. I just gazed into his red eyes. I couldn't help but get lost in them. They reminded me that he was a murderer but I couldn't look away. It was the cocky grin that made me sneer at him. He was too confident for no reason at all. For a moment, I saw something in his eyes. It was his eyes that only kept me looking. His mouth was in a sneery, cocky grin, but his eyes were emotionless. He was putting up a front. He wasn't truly feeling what he was showing me. There was something going on inside of him that made him act this way._

_I stared into those eyes and imagined the Edward Volturi I had seen in my dream. I could love that Edward. I could __fall in love__ with that Edward._

_And somehow, even when he was emotionless, that Edward was in his eyes._

_I couldn't look away, I_ wouldn't_._

_

* * *

_**14. Party Planner**

"Bella, Jasper and I have a proposition for you," Emmett stated. It was comical the way he sounded like a professional business person, but I kept my giggles in. Apparently, this was serious, or something to the same effect, for Emmett. He was looking at me strangely.

"If you don't want to, Bella, we would understand," Jasper added.

"Well, you better ask me before I flat out tell you no," I warned. They had come into my room, alone- something that hadn't happened since I had arrived here; there was always a large number of Volturi men around- and told me that they wanted to ask me something. I had no clue what it was but they were excited. I had a feeling Jazzy didn't get excited easily so it had to be something.

"We want to throw a party," Emmett started and I just stared, "for Edward."

Oh," was all I said. Why were they bringing this up to me? Was I expected to help? I mean, sure, after the last look we had I felt a spark, but I had decided that it wasn't anything. Edward Volturi could be anything he wanted and do whatever he wanted and I couldn't care less. Right?

"It's gonna be his birthday soon; the day that he was changed, so only vampires are invited," Jasper explained. I nodded.

"So what do you need me for? I am confident that you two can throw one heck of a bash," I began, "and I bet Jazzy will send all kinds of waves of fun to people and Em, you will shake the place with your booming laughter-"

"We were hoping that you would help, actually," Alec said. He had just popped his head inside the door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, come on." He walked in and took a seat beside me on the floor. We formed a kind of odd circle in the middle of my healing room which had become my permanent room.

"It isn't a surprise party or anything. I mean, everyone knows about it and everyone comes," Alec added, "It's something we do every year because, well, he is-"

"Edward Volturi," I finished. They three nodded. "Again I ask, though, what do you want with me?"

"Well," Jasper looked nervous. It was common knowledge that I didn't like Edward very much. Only Arlene knew of the little fuzzy feeling I got when I looked into Edward's blood-red eyes. The thought made me shiver as Jazz continued, "We were hoping that, well, you would help us?"

"Um-"

"Look, we know you don't like Edward much, but the vampire who threw the party last year messed the whole thing up; it was a disaster, and the guests who were supposed to be invited weren't and they were… disposed of," Alec said. I knew what he meant; that person was probably ashes right now.

"And we suggested that we could do it this year, but there is a problem," Jasper said.

"And what would that be?"

"We don't know how to throw a party. Well, Emmett knows but can you see him doing the whole thing by himself? We discussed it, Alec, Emmett, and I, and we thought that you seem like the kind of person who could throw a party, Bella. So, will you help? Please?" Jasper asked. No, it was more like he was begging. I looked at the three of them and my walls fell down. I had to help.

"I will help you," I started. Emmett jumped from his spot on the floor and gave me a big hug. "But," I continued, "I don't want anyone to know that I was involved. I don't like attention," I added.

They just stared at me. "You don't like attention?" Alec asked.

"Not in the least. Why?"

They shared looks with each other and Emmett laughed out, "Bella you are way too pretty not to get attention. How have you existed this long? You must have the spotlight on you all the time." Alec and Jasper nodded.

"Actually, no one ever notices me. I am plain," I shrugged.

"You are not!"

"Bella, you don't see-"

"But you are an angel."

"I am too, I do see, and I am not an angel, Alec, I'm sorry. Now, when is this party?"

"In two days," Emmett shrugged. My eyes bugged out of my head.

"Why would you wait until the last minute to tell me about this? If you wanted my help, all you had to do was ask, but I need a little more warning. My goodness, you guys, two days is not enough to get an awesome party started." I shook my head. If Alice were here, she would be able to do it with no problem, and though I got my interest in parties from her, I was not Alice Cullen.

"Sorry, Bella," they all said. I took a deep breath and we began planning.

-

"How is the party planning coming?"

"Quite nicely," I replied to Jasper's familiar voice.

"Can I take a peak?" His voice replied. He was standing behind me in the desk chair. I had been sitting here looking over decoration colors for the ballroom where the party would be taking place in only a day. Emmett and I had decided that we would be completely different than any of the other party planners. We wanted to have the best idea of any of the years of parties before this one. I wasn't even sure how "old" Edward would be turning; I didn't care. I was doing this for Em, Jazzy, and Alec.

"Sure." As asked for by me, the only ones of us who knew I was helping with the party planning- meaning that I was doing it all by myself- were me, Alec, Jasper, and Emmett. I liked it better that way. I didn't want anyone thinking that I was doing this for Edward; I wasn't. This was for my friends, for me. "Emmett and I decided that we wouldn't hire a band this year-"

"Wait. Edward's favorite part is when we get a band to play," Jasper informed me. He looked worried.

"It's too late to book someone, Jasper. Besides that is Emmett's job; he is trying to figure out what to do about the music," I said. "You guys should have been working on this for months in advance. I can't believe you have waited this long." I shook my head. Jasper tilted his head up like he got an idea.

"You're right. I will see you later, Bella," and he was gone. Well that was weird.

-

Party day.

No one knew that I had planned it all, and to be honest, I couldn't believe I had. Arlene had gone out shopping- she didn't think Aro would let me leave- and bought me a gorgeous dark blue number and pumps to match. The dress was sleeveless and stopped an inch above my thigh where it ruffled out. I felt girly and weird wearing it, but I felt sexy, too. I know, weird. She had done my hair into light curls that framed my face and fell down my back, and helped me into the skin-tight dress.

I suddenly missed Alice.

I hadn't seen Jasper since the day before when he had run away. I was starting to feel anxious about it. What was he up to? And since then Emmett had been acting weird towards me.

As I looked around the ballroom, I felt proud. I had done it. The room was beautiful with golden drapery and red lights with black touches and sparkles, and I had managed to keep my involvement silenced. I hadn't gotten the chance to ask Emmett about the music situation, but I felt confident that he had taken care of it; he better have.

-

The ballroom was full, now, that I could see. I had gone back up to my room to let Arlene finish making me up and I was supposed to arrive "fashionably late" according to her. I was about to make my entrance when she told me to take a different way. I looked at her skeptically but she only said to trust her and I did.

I stepped through the door and found myself with every eye in the room on me. Arlene knew I didn't like attention, and yet she made me the center. I blushed furiously as I descended the staircase. I saw familiar faces, but for the most part I saw strangers. I gulped and my heart-rate sped up. As would be expected, I tripped.

"Watch it," Edward said, but he was smiling as he caught me. "You have every eye in the room on you; you don't want to embarrass yourself now, do you?" I was too shocked to say anything. I just held on to him, feeling the muscles under his dark blue button up shirt. He looked completely sexy with his black pants hanging loosely at his hips. I might have jumped out of his arms had his voice not been laced with actual concern. For a moment, I was a goner to his eyes and I tilted my head to him. As if recognizing his mistake, he let me go. My heartbeat sped up and slowed down.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"Don't mention it. Ever," he added. But I could see that he didn't mind catching me. Or maybe that's what I wanted to think. Was it? Did I want Edward Volturi to want to catch me, to hold me?

No.

"Bella, you look stunning," Rein approached us and I saw Edward stiffen slightly, all traces of concern vanished. Was it me, like Arlene had said? Was it the fact that I was here that made them so cross towards each other? No, it couldn't be. Rein was only a friend. Wasn't he? And I didn't even like Edward that way, or at all, really. Right?

"Um, thanks, Rein, and you look dashing yourself," I added. It couldn't hurt to tell him he looked good, right? He looked amazing. He smiled down at me.

"Stunning? Psht, Rein, she looks totally sexy!" Emmett boomed. My cheeks flushed.

"Hey, Emmett," I said. "Black looks good on you," I added.

"Blue looks amazing on you," Edward whispered so low that I didn't know if I was supposed to hear it. So when I said, "Thanks" he looked like he just got hit with a bus. I blushed badly.

"Bella," Emmett began looking uncomfortable.

"Yes?"

"Is there anything I could do to you that would make you hate me?" he asked. I thought it over and told him that there wasn't anything because he wouldn't do anything like that. "Well, is there anything I could do to you that would make you mad at me?" he asked. I thought about this one, too. I told him maybe, but I couldn't stay mad for long. He smiled. Edward looked confused. Emmett was probably blocking his mind. This couldn't be good, could it?

"In the slight chance that you get upset at me for this, I'm sorry, Bella," Emmett said and he hugged me before running up to the stage and grabbing the mike. Uh, oh.

"Hello, everybody in the house!" he began. I shrank down. Edward and Rein gave me quizzical looks. By this time, Aro, Caius, Marcus, and Phil were walking towards us. What was Emmett doing? "Doesn't this party look amazing, and those decorations?" Man, Emmett could pump a crowd. "Now, Bella told me not to do this," he shot me an apologizing look but continued on.

"No," I whispered. Emmett and Rein, along with those approaching us, and many others around us looked at me. I shrank down further. Attention. I was going to kill Emmett.

"In case any of you are wondering, which you shouldn't be- she is hard to miss- Bella is the hot girl in the blue; the one you all had your eyes on a minute ago." This gained more looks. I was blushing furiously. Emmett was gonna die for good. My eyes bugged out of my head so I closed my eyes. "As you all know, this year's Edward Party is bigger and better than usual. Jasper and I were volunteers," here it comes, "And we asked Bella to help." He looked at me with a grin, now. I glared. "Actually, all this is her doing," he finished and motioned to the decorations hanging up.

"I was assigned to one thing: music," Emmett continued and I could feel many, many pairs of eyes on me, but I didn't pay attention. I could see Edward out of the corner of my eye. "So this year, I decided that I would make a band and a few of us Volturi would play and sing for you!" There was large applause from this and Rein went up to the stage and stood in front of the mike. Wait, he sings? Hot.

"Hey, guys. What's up?! Pump it!" Wow. He was really going to sing. And he could get the crowd to go along with him. He had stage presence. I was entranced. Jasper, Felix, and Jacob- What?- went on the stage and picked up different instruments. Emmett took the mike from Rein and said, "Bella doesn't like attention so we want to dedicate this song to her! We love you, Bella! And then she is going to come up here and sing for you guys! Would you like that?" I dropped my jaw. NO. But the crowd gave the biggest applause yet.

The boys started playing their instruments and Camera Shy by School Boy Humor blared into the room, Rein singing. He looked flustered. I guess this was what Jasper and Emmett had been working on, and no one else knew about it.

-

There is no hope for you and me  
'Cause this long drive might be  
The last time I take the wheel  
You're not sure how you feel

I think the spotlight  
Always gives you stage fright  
I wish this all would end right  
I wish you would stop  
Making my head spin

Over and over  
It's over, but what if  
We just pretend

You'll play the love  
And baby, I'll play the lead  
So strike a pose and fake a smile  
You're coming with me  
I'll strum my guitar  
'Cause girl, I know how you are  
You're just a little bit camera shy  
But you're still a star

This isn't right  
You said it takes some time, you know  
Let's try again tonight  
This fight is getting old

You're young, but old enough to build up  
Falling walls and false love  
I wish this all would end

The camera's on tonight  
We're gonna pick it up slowly  
Can I hear your voice  
What a perfect story  
Can I pick you up  
You could be my star  
Now the spotlight's on  
Move close for the final scene

-

Rein was really working the crowd, and when the song was over, Emmett jumped from the stage and came to get me. "No," I whispered.

"Please, Bella," he begged. I couldn't say no, however much I wanted to. He walked me to the stage and I got a round of applause. Did they really like me? I hadn't even begun singing yet. "Bella is going to sing a song or two for you guys!" Emmett blared into the mike. "Pick a song," he said to me. I gulped. I racked my brain for a song and found the perfect one. It fit how much I wanted to escape this place, but it also told how much I was starting to like it. Rein gave me the mike and stepped to the side.

"I'm gonna sing The Other Side by Alana Grace," I said into the mike. There was hooting and a girl shouted, "I love that song! You rock, Bella!" I smiled and began.

-

I found the poison under my skin Creeping in slowly feeding everything  
I feel so close yet so far away  
Staring at life this prison of sheltering  
it's killing me...

I-I-I wanna break free from these walls  
And say goodbye-ay-ay to the feelings that I've known before  
I try-ay-ay to fight back the urge to hideaway  
and let it, let it, let it open my eyes  
to the other side

The glass it's breaking, I'm not afraid  
The noise it's making is taking my breath away  
This water is cold but I'm not alone  
And something's moving underneath my feet  
it's sinking me...

I-I-I wanna break free from these walls  
And say goodbye-ay-ay to the feelings that I've known before  
I try-ay-ay to fight back the urge to hideaway  
and let it, let it, let it open my eyes  
to the other side

Ooo-oo  
Floating away on a star  
Passing through clouds and rose colors  
Oh...starting over  
I'm never coming down

I...I...I...  
I...I...I...

It's killing me, just set me free  
Set me free!

I-I-I wanna break free from these walls  
And say goodbye-ay-ay to the feelings that I've known before  
I try-ay-ay to fight back the urge to hideaway  
and let it, let it, let it open my eyes  
to the other side

I-I-I wanna break free from these walls  
And say goodbye-ay-ay to the feelings that I've known before  
I try-ay-ay to fight back the urge to hideaway  
and let it, let it, let it open my eyes  
to the other side

Ooo, oooo, oh oh oh  
Mm oo mm oo

-

I think I almost went deaf from the applause I got. It made me smile and I decided to be bolder in the next song and dance a little. It couldn't hurt, could it? I also went up to Emmett and kissed his cheek. The crowd loved it. I was drunk with it.

"Alright, this one is more upbeat and harder, and Rein is going to be the lead, so everyone needs to dance," I said. "This one is called Hero by Skillet." Rein came up beside me and put the mike on the stand so I could share it with him. I was in the background while he sang the main part. We danced together while we sang and it was fun. He had real stage presence.

-

**Bold is Bella.**

Regular is Rein.

_Italics is Bella and Rein together._

_-  
_

I'm just a step away  
I'm just a breath away  
Losing my faith today  
**Falling off the edge today**

I am just a man  
Not superhuman  
**I'm not superhuman**  
Someone save me from the hate

It's just another war  
Just another family torn  
**Falling from my faith today  
**Just a step from the edge  
Just another day in the world we live

I need a hero to save me now  
I need a hero, **save me now**  
I need a hero to save my life  
A hero will save me, **just in time**

I've gotta fight today  
To live another day  
Speaking my mind today  
**My voice will be heard today**

I've gotta make a stand  
But I am just a man  
**I'm not superhuman**  
My voice will be heard today

It's just another war  
Just another family torn  
**My voice will be heard today  
**It's just another kill  
The countdown begins to destroy ourselves

I need a hero to save me now  
I need a hero, **save me now**  
I need a hero to save my life  
A hero will save me,** just in time**

I need a hero to save my life  
I need a hero, just in time  
Save me just in time  
Save me just in time

_Who's gonna fight for what's right?  
Who's gonna help us survive?  
_We're in the fight of our lives  
**And we're not ready to die**

_Who's gonna fight for the weak?  
Who's gonna make 'em believe?  
_I've got a hero, **I've got a hero**  
Living in me

_I'm gonna fight for what's right  
Today I'm speaking my mind  
_And if it kills me tonight  
**I will be ready to die**

A hero's not afraid to give his life  
_A hero's gonna save me just in time_

I need a hero to save me now  
I need a hero, **save me now**  
I need a hero to save my life  
A hero will save me, **just in time**

(I need a hero)  
_Who's gonna fight for what's right?  
Who's gonna help us survive?_

(I need a hero)  
_Who's gonna fight for the weak?  
Who's gonna make 'em believe?_  
I've got a hero

I need a hero  
_A hero's gonna save me just in time_

_-  
_

We got a bunch of catcalls. I blushed and Rein kissed my cheek. I heard Arlene whistle somewhere and tell me "go girl". I shook my head.

"This one is gonna be just Bella," Rein said. I gave me an encouraging look.

"I'm gonna change it up a bit," I started. I was worried about the reaction of the next song, but I was hopeful. "This one's called Pretty Ugly by Alana Grace," I finished. I heard a girl sigh in agreement with what I was feeling about the song. That gave me my inspiration. Rein stood with me and swayed at the right moments. We danced when it was appropriate. The song wasn't a dancing song, and yet there were couples dancing.

-

Am I the girl who has everything?  
The one that everybody wants to be?  
I wear this smile on my sleeve  
Try to be what you want me to be

If I'm so beautiful, if I'm so wonderful  
How come I feel so pitiful inside?  
I want to disappear, just get me away from here  
Cause you only love me cause I'm pretty  
Ugly

I just don't see what you see in me,  
But you'll never understand my misery  
I protect this image so death well  
But I can't keep the truth from myself

If I'm so beautiful, if I'm so wonderful  
Why do I feel so horrible inside?  
I want to disappear, just get me away from here  
Cause you only love me cause I'm pretty  
Ugly  
Cause I'm pretty ugly

If I'm so beautiful, if I'm so wonderful  
Why do I feel so unlovable inside?  
I want to disappear, just get me away from here  
Cause you only love me cause I'm pretty

I'm pretty, I'm so damn pretty  
Ugly

-

During the song, Edward and I made eye contact several times. It was different because he didn't look cocky, most of the time. If he realized he wasn't sneering he would sneer at me, but I could tell he didn't mean it. And I didn't know what that meant.

Rein was having a blast. I had not seen this side of him before; he was carefree and it was intoxicating. "This next song is also by Alana Grace and it's called Black Roses Red."

-

Can I ask you a question please  
Promise you won't laugh at me  
Honestly I'm standing here  
Afraid I'll be betrayed.  
As twisted as it seems, I only fear love when it's in my dreams

So let in the morning light and let the darkness fade away

Can you turn my black roses red?  
Can you turn my black roses red?

-

Edward was gazing intently at me. I refused to meet his gaze, but when I finally did, he held my gaze as I sang the rest of the song.

Drowning in my loneliness  
How long must I hold my breath

So much emptiness inside I could fill the deepest sea  
I reach to the sky as the moon looks on  
One last year has come and gone  
It's time to let your love rain down on me

Can you turn my black roses red?

Can you turn my black roses red?

Can you turn my black roses red?

Cuz I'm feelin like I've never known love

Cuz I'm feelin like I've never known love

Cuz I'm feelin like I've never known love

Cuz I'm feelin like I've never known love

Cuz I'm feelin like I've never known love

Cuz I'm feelin like I've never known love

Can you turn my black roses red?

Can you turn my black roses red?

Can you turn my black roses red?

"This is the last song," Rein said. The crowd booed and sighed. I giggled and a few people laughed, including Edward. What was up with him? I kinda liked it, and that was bad. "This one is One Day We'll Know by Mandy Moore & JF." Girls "awed" as we began singing and looked into each other's eyes. I could feel Edward glaring, but not at me. Maybe I was imagining it, anyway.

-

**Bold is Bella.**

Regular is Rein.

_Italics is Bella and Rein together._

_-  
_

**Ninety miles outside Chicago  
Can't stop driving  
I don't know why  
So many questions  
I Need an answer  
Two years later  
he's still on my mind**

Whatever happened to Amelia Earhart?  
Who holds the stars up in the sky?  
Is true love just once in a lifetime?

_Did the captain of the Titanic cry?_

_Ohh_

_Someday we'll know_  
**If love can move a mountain...  
**_Someday we'll know_  
Why the sky is blue...  
_Someday we'll know  
Why I wasn't meant for you..._

**Does anybody know the way to Atlantis? **

Or what the wind says when she cries?

**I'm speeding by the place that I met you **

_For the 97th time...Tonight_

_Someday we'll know_  
**If love can move a mountain...**  
_Someday we'll know_  
Why the sky is blue...  
_Someday we'll know  
Why I wasn't meant for you..._

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Someday we'll know_  
Why Samson loved Delilah...  
_One day I'll go_  
**Dancing on the moon...**  
_Someday you'll know_  
_That I was the one for you…_

**I bought a ticket to the end of the rainbow,  
**I watched the stars crash in the sea,  
**If I could ask God just one question...**  
_Why aren't you here with me?...Tonight_

_Someday we'll know_  
**If love can move a mountain...  
**_Someday we'll know_  
Why the sky is blue...  
_Someday we'll know  
Why I wasn't meant for you..._

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah_

_Someday we'll know_  
Why Samson loved Delilah...  
_One day I'll go_  
**Dancing on the moon...**  
_Someday you'll know_  
_That I was the one for you…_

_-  
_

We got some major applause and I bowed and curtsied. I felt like a girl and I felt wanted. I felt as though I belonged. Something happened that I didn't expect, though. Maybe he was too caught up in the moment; I couldn't let myself believe anything different when he did it.

But as the last song ended and the applause began, Rein took my face into his hands and he kissed me. And I kissed back.

And I distinctly heard Edward Volturi hiss.

* * *

**AN: Just so everyone is clear, this story is going to be an Edward and Bella fic. Please tell me this was worth the wait, for those of you who are still with this story, and me. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter!**

**Review.**

**~Sylvia~**


	15. Fuzzy Feeling For Fire

**AN: I didn't get many reviews, but someone reviewed me TWICE. Yeah, I know. The person doesn't have an account but reviewed the SAME chapter TWICE. This one is dedicated to you, and you know who you are.**

_**

* * *

**We got some major applause and I bowed and curtsied. I felt like a girl and I felt wanted. I felt as though I belonged. Something happened that I didn't expect, though. Maybe he was too caught up in the moment; I couldn't let myself believe anything different when he did it._

_But as the last song ended and the applause began, Rein took my face into his hands and he kissed me. And I kissed back._

_And I distinctly heard Edward Volturi hiss._

* * *

**15. Fuzzy Feelings For Fire**

"Girl's gettin' lovin' from the docta!" I heard Arlene shout from somewhere in the crowd. I blushed furiously as Rein begrudgingly let my face go and turned back to the stage, his eyes still on mine as my blush deepened. He smiled and looked to be on the top of the world. It couldn't be because I kissed him; he was still on his stage-presence high.

The kiss had been nice. Slightly cooler than my own lips, Rein's had moved over mine and I felt something, but still it wasn't what I knew I would have felt had it been Edward's lips. But why would I think of him, now? I had just kissed another man, uh, vampire. I scanned the crowd for Edward and when I found him, he was sneering at Rein, and from the corner of my eye I saw Rein with a smug look on his face. Rein wasn't the person to be smug and I had a feeling the only person that would make him that way was Edward. Rein is a good person, of that I was sure. Abruptly, Edward's eyes met mine and he glared. Why was he taking his frustration at Rein out on me?

I shuddered at the glare and Edward looked away, busying himself by talking to a rather large crowd of girls about, well, who knew what? I felt an unfamiliar feeling as I watched them flock around him; he was definitely a ladies' man. And I didn't want to watch. I caught Arlene's eye and she winked at me which caused me to giggle. Rein tapped my shoulder, "Should we give them one more song, you know, lighten the mood a little?" he asked, unsure. I nodded.

"Okay, we are going to sing one more, but only one," I said. "This one is The Ping Pong Song by Enrique Iglesias."

-

**Bold is Bella.**

Regular is Rein.

-

**Do you know?  
Do you know?**

Do you know what it feels like loving someone that's in a rush to throw you away?  
**Do you know, do you know, do you know, do ya?  
**Do you know what it feels like to be the last one to know the lock on the door has changed?

If birds flying south is a sign of changes  
At least you can predict this every year  
Love, you never know the minute it ends suddenly  
I can't get it to speak  
Maybe if I knew all the things it took to save us  
I could fix the pain that bleeds inside of me  
Look in your eyes to see something about me  
I'm standing on the edge and I don't know what else to give.

Do you know what it feels like loving someone that's in a rush to throw you away?  
**Do you know, do you know, do you know, do ya?  
**Do you know what it feels like to be the last one to know the lock on the door has changed?

How can I love you?  
**How can I love you?**  
How can I love you?  
**How can I love you?**  
If you just don't talk to me, babe.

I flow through my act  
There's a question: Is she needed?  
And decide all the man I can ever be.  
Looking at the last 3 years like I did  
I could never see us ending like this.

**(Do you know?)**

Seeing your face no more on my pillow  
Is a scene that's never ever happened to me.

**(Do you know?)**

But after this episode I don't see  
**You could never tell the next thing life could be**

Do you know what it feels like loving someone that's in a rush to throw you away?  
**Do you know, do you know, do you know, do ya?  
**Do you know what it feels like to be the last one to know the lock on the door has changed?

Do you know what it feels like loving someone that's in a rush to throw you away?  
**Do you know, do you know, do you know, do ya?  
**Do you know what it feels like to be the last one to know the lock on the door has changed?

**(Do you know?)  
(Do you know?)  
(Do you know?)  
(Do you know?)**

Do you know what it feels like loving someone that's in a rush to throw you away?  
**Do you know, do you know, do you know, do ya?  
**Do you know what it feels like to be the last one to know the lock on the door has changed?

Do you know what it feels like loving someone that's in a rush to throw you away?  
**(Do you know how it feels?)**  
Do you know what it feels like to be the last one to know the lock on the door has changed?  
**(Do you know how it feels?)**

(Do you know? Do you know? Do you know? Do you?)  
**(Do you know? Do you know? Do you know? Do you?)**

**-**

When the song ended, we received more applause as Emmett, Jake- looking upset- and Phil- looking simply pissed- came to stand by us and bow. Then Emmett took the mic and said, "Now, was this not the best party ever or what?" Everyone applauded, save for Edward. For some unexplainable reason, I wanted to tell him not to be angry, but who was I? Edward Volturi didn't like me and I despised him. He met my eyes again and gave me a crookedly cocky smile. I grimaced. I couldn't expect more than that from him, could I? "Give Miss Isabella a round of applause," Emmett continued, "Again," he added.

The party ended and the vampires left. Many of them told me I had a beautiful voice and that I was beautiful and that Rein was a nice guy and that my boyfriend was a sweetie. I didn't have time to tell any of them that Rein wasn't my boyfriend.

When I was back in my room, I was left alone. Pretty much all the vampires had still been engaging in conversation. Hey, they would probably still be having the party had I not needed to come up here and go to bed; I was terribly exhausted.

I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. And I couldn't make myself forget about Edward's reaction to it. Or maybe he wasn't even reacting to the kiss; maybe he was just mad at Rein for nothing. I mean, they were hostile towards each other all the time. It wasn't my fault; it simply couldn't be because I hadn't even been here for that long and they had squabbled with each other before me.

It was becoming a reoccurrence that I would be unable to sleep, in which case I would wonder around the halls, thinking.

I was walking, again, and it was dark, but it wasn't as dark as it could have been. There were candles that lined the hallways tonight should any of the guests decide to murk around the castle. It occurred to me that Edward hadn't been the only one to sustain a mood change. Phil and Jacob hadn't seemed as high as Rein had, either. It became more probable that the kiss was the cause, but there could be many other reasons. It was only a kiss.

Was it? Would Rein be expecting something to come of us now? Truth be told, I didn't know how I felt about it. Any of it. Why would Edward be upset that I was kissing Rein? He wouldn't be. He doesn't even remotely like me, let alone like me like me. But that brought up the Jacob and Phil thing; they had to have been effected by it. I shook my head; I didn't want to think about it any more.

Not realizing where I was going, I ended up in the dungeon room that Jacob had been it during the beginning of his… stay. I walked in and rubbed my hands along the bars, back and forth. They vibrated under my fingers and I liked it. It made me giggle.

"What are you thinking?" I jumped as the familiar velvet voice echoed around the room. I heard him slightly chuckle before I turned around.

"What?" I asked lamely. He looked slightly annoyed but also amused. His eyes went from the bars to my face. He tilted his head, "What are you thinking, Bella?"

"Um, I was just… feeling… vibrations from the… bars," I said in a small voice. But he heard me.

"Ah," was all he said as he took a step forward. I wanted to react and run the other way, but a part of me wanted to stay here with him. He wasn't being a jerk, and I liked it. I was instantly reminded of the Edward from my dream; the one I could fall in love with. I blushed. And he took another step forward. There was only a foot between us now. He took the step and I felt his chest on mine. I shivered and he smiled crookedly at me.

"Um, so…"

"Shouldn't you be in bed, sleeping?" He asked. Again, there was concern in his voice. It was odd. Why should he care if I was sleeping? Hello, this is Edward Volturi for crying out loud! He didn't care about anyone besides himself. Not even the bimbos that threw themselves at him. Was I jealous of them? No.

"I couldn't sleep-"

"Again?" he interrupted me.

"I decided to take a walk," I said. The close proximity of his muscled chest on my own was tingly, and I hated to admit that I liked it quite a bit more than I should have.

"And you came here." It was a statement; not a question.

"Well, what do you care?" I sounded harsh, but I wanted to, and my angered voice echoed around the small room. I couldn't let myself forget that I was talking to Edward Volturi. He was amused again. He pressed his body more to mine, and I felt the bars on my back. I was sandwiched between two solid forms, and I skipped a breath as my heart skipped a beat. Again, he chuckled.

"Who says that I care?" he said cockily. It really got on my nerves when he was cocky. I tried to push him away, but he grabbed my hand, and when I raised my other one, he caught it, too. He put both of my hands into one of his and raised them above my head. I was too concentrated on his eyes. It was strange how the omen of murder could pull me to him.

"No one, because you only care about yourself." I had wanted to sound fierce, but I came off as slightly breathless and my voice cracked. His smile returned and I melted, but I didn't let it show. I looked mad on the outside, but inside I was dying.

"Get some sleep, Isabella," he said. He brought his free hand to my cheek and brushed it with the end of his fingertips.

His touch was like an electrical current tinged with fire as it shocked through my skin and ran deep into my veins. I wanted, begged, it to burn and shock me more, to never leave, but as soon as he touched me he was gone.

I didn't leave the dungeon room. True, he had told me to go to sleep, but he didn't say _where_ to get my sleep, so I opened the door of the large cage- I wasn't thinking about what I was doing; I only wanted to know what it was like to sleep in a cage, and maybe it would give a perspective on how Jacob had been feeling before I asked that he be free to roam around, or maybe a literal meaning of how it felt for me to be trapped in this place, in a cage.

I lay down on the ground and thought about the touch, the simple touch, of him. It wasn't Rein I was thinking of and maybe it should have been, but it wasn't, and I didn't feel guilty. The feeling of fire was still on my cheek, and it surprised me when I had expected it to be gone by now.

But I still had the fuzzy feeling after Edward Volturi left me.

It wasn't going to go away.

I hoped it wouldn't.

And that was wrong of me.

So very wrong.

* * *

**AN: Alright, I want reviews! Too many read this story and set it to favorites or alerts for me not to get reviews! So please review! More reviews means faster chapters! PLEASE.**

**~Sylvia~**


	16. I Can’t Go Home, I Don’t Wanna

**AN: This is a very quick update. Don't expect these. I couldn't take not knowing what would happen next so I am writing it for my benefit and for those of you who reviewed! BTW, thank you to those who have reviewed. 8-)**

**

* * *

**_I lay down on the ground and thought about the touch, the simple touch, of him. It wasn't Rein I was thinking of and maybe it should have been, but it wasn't, and I didn't feel guilty. The feeling of fire was still on my cheek, and it surprised me when I had expected it to be gone by now._

_But I still had the fuzzy feeling after Edward Volturi left me._

_It wasn't going to go away._

_I hoped it wouldn't._

_And that was wrong of me._

_So very wrong._

_

* * *

_**16. I Can't Go Home, I Don't Wanna**

You can guess that my dreams were about Edward Volturi. Your guess would be right so I won't bother with denying the obvious. In the dream, he kissed me. But then he turned into Rein, and then Jacob, and then Phil. What made me spring awake wasn't the ringtone of my phone going off. No, though it was annoying to wake up to, getting a phone call wasn't what had me springing up and cringing. It was when the person I was kissing turned to Aro that made me rub my mouth.

The usual crowd heard the phone buzzing, along with the noise of my waking up, and was taking their places in the small room I was in, but not right beside me. I was still inside the cell in which I had willingly gone to sleep. I sighed that they had still not grasped the concept of my privacy; perhaps they never would. To them, I was a freak. I had to be. I sighed again.

Many of them looked from me to the cage bars in front of me and gave me amused looks. Among those looks included Aro, Rein, Edward, and a few others. Alec, Jake, and Emmett actually laughed. I gave a shy, exasperated look and they continued to laugh as I answered my ringing phone, "Hello?" I hadn't expected the voice that came from the other end.

"Bella? It's you! Oh, my gosh! Rosalie, she picked up!" I rolled my eyes. Did Alice think I wouldn't pick up?

"Yeah, it's me. Who else would be using my cell, Alice?"

"I am putting you on speaker," she said. As if she needed it. Rosalie could easily hear every word of the conversation, hello, vampire hearing, which meant the men surrounding me now would hear, too. But I didn't say this to Alice. "Where are you, Bella? We haven't heard from you in a week!" I had to think quickly.

"I'm shopping," I said. I realized too late that that was the worst explanation I could have come up with.

"Oh, that's crap, Bella; you don't like shopping! Tell me the truth. I can't see you. I am worried-"

"We both are!" Rosalie yelled. I rolled my eyes. "We came back from shopping and you weren't here so we called Esme and Carlisle and they said that you should be home because you only went book shopping a few days ago. We are all really worried," she added.

"I can't see you, Bella!"

"Stop it! You guys, I'm fine… I'm just… on vacation," I said lamely.

"Is this because of your birthday last week?" Phil smirked from across the room and I flipped him off. A few vamps laughed.

"No," I said but I changed my mind about my approach. "Yes, you know how I can get," I said. It was true that I went into a state after my birthday and it usually lasted a week or two. But I skipped it this year. I had too much going on to wallow in my mistakes. A few heads in the room turned.

"Bella, how many times do we have to tell you that it wasn't your fault? You couldn't-"

"Yes it was," Phil said. The other vampires gave him death glares and I saw Edward looking at me, and just nodded that it _was_ my fault, but he shook his head slightly.

"Ali, we aren't going over this again, okay?" I said exasperated.

"Where are you?" Rose and Ali said at the same time.

"I… I can't… tell you," I said.

"And why not?" Alice asked. I shook my head; she wasn't going to give up easily. It wouldn't be like Alice to do so.

"Because then you would insist on coming to get me," I said. And it was true. If Alice or Rosalie found out that I was in the one place in the world Carlisle had promised me never to go, they would bust down the doors and demand that I be released. It wouldn't turn out pretty at all. I couldn't do that. I wouldn't let Carlisle down.

"Don't be silly. We know you need time to yourself… We just want to know where you are spending that time," Rosalie said. I thought about it.

"You promise you won't tell Esme and Carlisle?"

"Why can't we tell them?" Alice sounded suspicious and I didn't like it.

"You just can't," I whispered. There was silence on the other end as the vampires in the room looked at me as I spoke to my sisters on the phone, but they didn't know that these were my sisters.

"Either you tell us where you are or we will assume that you are in the worst place you could possibly be in the world," Alice threatened. This wasn't going to go down well.

"And where is that?"

"You know where," Rose and Alice said at the same time. I sighed. "Where are you?" Alice asked.

I blew out a breath I had been holding. This next sentence would need to be controlled. "I'm in Italy," I said in an offhand tone, but I didn't think they would overlook where I had I said I am. They didn't.

"You're where?!" they yelled together. I cringed.

"In Italy. You know, you guys, this place is really beautiful," I said as I looked at Edward. I looked away quickly.

"Bella… Where in Italy, are you exactly?" Alice asked slowly. She sounded kind of panicked. Oh, I could imagine why. This wasn't going to turn out pretty for me.

"You know, just around Italy," I said.

"Bella," Alice and Rose warned. I laughed.

"Why are you laughing, Bella? Italy is not something to laugh about! You know that! Things could happen to you in Italy… If they haven't already," Alice said in a whisper. I gulped. The vampires on the other side of the cage looked as if they would all burst into laughter at any moment. I warned them with my eyes and Emmett did let out a booming laugh.

"What was that?" Rosalie asked, aghast.

"A mountain collapsing," I said.

"You aren't around a mountain," Alice said.

"I thought you couldn't see me," I reminded her. Maybe if I kept the jokes flowing she would forget about me being in Italy.

"I can't, but that isn't important right now. How could you not tell us you were going to Italy? Do you have a death wish? What if the-"

"The what?" Aro asked, but I had a feeling he already knew. He grinned.

"That voice sounded familiar," Alice said. I shot Aro a look and he raised an eyebrow.

"What? No. I am standing in a crowd of… meese," I said lamely. Emmett boomed out again and I shot out another look. I swear my face was going to be permanently stuck that way.

"Okay," Alice said shoving it off. "Bella, where in Italy are you?"

"Promise me," I warned.

"Promise you what?" she sounded weary again.

"Promise me that neither one of you will tell Carlisle where I am. And don't tell Esme," I added. I heard chatter and it sounded like Rose and Alice were discussing it.

"Okay," they said together.

"I'm in… Volterra."

It was silent again.

"BELLA, WHAT THE FU-"

"BELLA, HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?"

"Guys, STOP!" I screamed. I had to hold the phone away from my ear. And Rosalie almost used the F-bomb.

"Bella, how could you go to Volterra? After all the times Carlisle told you not to go there, ever. How could you do this to him?" Alice asked.

"It wasn't planned," I said.

"THEY FORCED YOU AGAINST YOUR WILL?" Rosalie screamed.

"Rose, they may not even know she is there. Right, Bella? They don't know you are in Italy, they don't know who you are or what you are, and you can just come home right now. No one will ever know," Alice said.

"Ali-"

"They have to have her, Alice. She isn't easy to miss!" Rosalie hissed. The vampires in the room nodded. I felt awful.

"Bella, do the Volturi know you are in Italy?" Alice asked.

"What do you mean by 'know'?" I asked. I braced myself for the yelling.

"Bella! Do they know? Are you with them?" Rosalie asked impatient.

"Depends. What do you mean by "with'?" I asked again, preparing for the next assault on my eardrums. But it didn't come. The vampires in the room all had smiles, even the ones who should be afraid for my safety or scared of what could be happening. I tilted my head and mouthed 'what?' but they just shook their heads and pointed to the phone.

"Are you wearing a black robe? Look down, Bella, and tell me you are not wearing a black robe," she said. I looked down. All I saw was my pajama tank top and my boobs. I heard Felix and Phil laugh like they had read my mind.

"I am not wearing a black robe," I assured her, but she didn't sound any less upset.

"Are you with them, Bella?" Rosalie asked. She sounded upset as well.

"If by that you mean- 'Bella, did you join their cult and do you drink human blood now and are you a real vampire now and are you mated with someone, yet?'- then the answer is no," I said. I got a few looks from the vampires, and Emmett laughed loudly.

"But are you in their castle? Do they know about what you are?" Alice asked.

"Yes," I answered.

"That's not good," Rosalie whispered.

"Have they done anything to you?" Alice asked.

"Did they rape you?!" Rosalie screamed. The men in the room laughed and I blushed so hard I could've exploded. Edward quirked and eyebrow at me.

"No, I still have my innocence," I assured them with a shaky laugh.

"Have they experimented on you?"

"No."

"Have they drunk your blood?"

"No."

"Do they want to?" Rosalie asked. I could tell she was wiggling her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes, "No," I said.

"Speak for yourself!" Felix yelled.

"Who was that?"

"A donkey," I said with a smile. He grimaced at me and I grinned.

"Oh, my gosh," Rosalie started.

"Have you-" Alice cut in.

"Met Rein?" Rosalie finished their joint-effort question. Rein smiled at me and I smiled back.

"Yeah," I said. They screamed and I said, "What?"

"Carlisle talks about him all the time, Bella! But you wouldn't know cause you never listen," Alice said.

"I do, too," I defended myself.

"Whatever. Have you met Edward?!" Rosalie shrieked. I grimaced. "Yeah," was all I said. Edward quirked another eyebrow at me and winked. I stuck my tongue out.

"Isn't he just the hot-" Alice started.

"Do you guys have any more questions? I thought you would be mad," I confessed.

"Oh, Bella, we are furious and you are going to be in so much trouble," Alice said.

"But you said you wouldn't tell! You promised!" I wined.

"We won't tell," Rosalie said. She sounded mad. I exhaled and she continued, "But you have to promise to tell us if they mistreat you in any way."

"Actually they have been okay," I said.

"Okay?!" Alice shrieked. "Bella! Have you not listened to a word Carlisle has ever said about Aro Volturi?! He is not a vampire to fiddle with, Bella! He will do things to you; they all will! They are dangerous! Especially to you! Do you know what would happen to Esme and Carlisle if they found out that the Volturi is hurting you and you can't do a thing about it?!" she screamed.

"Aro hasn't been all bad," I said, "Actually he has been nice." Aro bowed from across the room.

"You did not just use 'Aro' and 'nice' in the same sentence! What is wrong with you, Bella! Do you have a death wish?!"

"I am already half dead, Rose!" I yelled.

"You are more alive than I will ever be again," she replied. I felt bad about yelling at her.

"I'm sorry. That was harsh of me, Rose."

"No, you're right. Who else in the world can say that they are half alive and half dead?" she joked, but I could hear the sadness hidden in her voice.

"When are you coming home, Bella?" Alice asked.

"I don't know," I answered truthfully.

"He won't let you leave, will he? Carlisle was right all along, wasn't he?"

"Yes," I replied.

"We miss you, Bella. Be strong. And call us if they do anything to hurt you, okay?" Rosalie said.

"I will. I love you guys," I added. They seemed taken aback.

"We always love you, Bella, and we will worry about what to tell Carlisle and Esme," Alice said. And the line went dead.

"Well that was interesting!" Emmett boomed. I didn't answer. I was still sitting on the dusty floor in the cell. I stood up and went to the bars and opened the door. I sad down again and put my back against the outside of the cell doors.

"Are you okay, Bella?" Rein asked. I looked up and nodded. I even gave a fake smile, but none of them bought into it.

"Carlisle told you I was a terrible fiend and to never come to Volterra," Aro mused.

"It's nothing personal," the lie showed through my voice. "He just cares about me." And as I said it I realized it was true. I had been here so long that I was beginning to learn things about myself that I hadn't seen before. I kinda liked it.

Maybe I didn't want to go home.

But deep down I wanted nothing more.

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**AN: Bout time we heard from Alice and Rosalie!**

**Review.**

**~Sylvia~**


	17. He Makes Me Feel Funny

**AN: I am amazed at the number of reviews for last chapter! Thank you to those who reviewed, keep it up, please! Those who didn't review, please do! 8-) … So, listen, I have 12:05 midnight tickets to see New Moon. I am so excited people can't stand the numbers 12 and 5 anymore! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, but I am happy to say that my BB is reading New Moon right now! She is devastated! Laugh with me, people!**

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**_"Are you okay, Bella?" Rein asked. I looked up and nodded. I even gave a fake smile, but none of them bought into it._

_"Carlisle told you I was a terrible fiend and to never come to Volterra," Aro mused._

_"It's nothing personal," the lie showed through my voice. "He just cares about me." And as I said it I realized it was true. I had been here so long that I was beginning to learn things about myself that I hadn't seen before. I kinda liked it._

_Maybe I didn't want to go home._

_But deep down I wanted nothing more._

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**17. He Makes Me Feel Funny**

"Aro, honestly," I began, exasperated. I hadn't planned on going beyond that, but they were all looking at me for more. So I continued, "You aren't very… nice. To the general vampire mind, you are an eccentric, powerful, very possessive vampire. This is the last place Carlisle would want me to be. You collect people, vampires, Aro, and you don't give them a choice with their lives. This place," I motioned to the room, "Is beautiful. And it reeks of danger.

"I was honestly scared of Alec for a few minutes when I first got here. You all scare me to some degree. Emmett could tear me in half if he didn't like me. At any notice, any of you could hurt me in the worst possible way. Even Rein has been trained. Phil and Felix are the worst, besides you, Aro because I know that all you would have to do was snap your fingers and I would be gone. You don't live in Volturi Castle without the knowledge and ability to kill, and some of you enjoy it," I finished.

They stared at me with sad faces. Aro looked unperturbed. "You're right, Bella," Jacob said. "Alec and Jane are lethal. Felix and Phil are dangerous. Emmett and Jasper know stuff. Edward and Rein could easily do some damage. I have felt it first hand with some of them. They wouldn't do anything to you, though. You have… something, something that keeps you interesting and unable to be touched. Anyone would stop pain from reaching you. It's easy to fall for you." He shrugged. I just gaped.

"You need to have yourself checked." Edward laughed at that one, and I glared at him. He just grinned lopsidedly at me and I blushed.

"You're beautiful, Bella. You smell… delectable, and I am not even a leech! You drip sarcasm and you are caring, nice, and moral. You are modest. And you don't see yourself clearly at all," Jacob continued. Edward seemed to nod slightly, but I was the only one to notice. Maybe I hadn't even seen it. He couldn't think that way about me at all.

I bit my lip and looked down. "You got the dripping sarcasm part right." I got a couple laughs from that, but this was a serious moment, I could feel it. Edward was still grinning and it only increased how much I was blushing. I didn't want him to stop because it made him so beautiful, but I didn't want to permanently look like a tomato, either.

"Seriously, Bella," Emmett boomed. "I could be in love with you if I didn't love you only as a sister! You are the funniest little thing! And also, there's that other thing I told you when we first met and you were quote, unconscious." I nodded that I knew what he was talking about. Edward looked confused, but realization dawned on his face and he looked at me. Emmett had thanked me for saving Edward's immature, snobby ass. Edward was giving me a skeptical look for some reason, and it annoyed me.

"Well, Emmy, I don't approve of incest so it is a good thing you aren't in love with me," I laughed. "Same goes for you, Jazzy," I said, though I knew Jasper didn't feel that for me. He knew we were just brother and sister, theoretically.

"What about me?" Aro asked.

I groaned. "Do you really want me to answer that? Honestly?" It was strange being asked by Aro Volturi if you loved him. I knew he wasn't asking it in the romance sort of way. He wasn't asking I loved him, really. I think he just wanted to know how I viewed him.

"Yes," Aro, Caius, and Marcus said. I grimaced.

"I am scared to literal death of you. I know that you could take everything that I have away in an instant and I wouldn't be able to do anything to stop you. There is a part of me that loves you for being the one to order Phil to create my father. Because of you, if I truly think about it, I was born, and I have my family. But I also can't help but blame you for every one of my problems. I was born and I killed my mother. I was responsible for my father's death. And you had a hand in it that you don't even know is there," I said. Phil look squeamish and Rein looked at him. It didn't escape Edward as I saw him bare his teeth. This wasn't going to end nicely.

"You blame me for my old friend's death?"

"Yes," I gulped.

"Who was it that killed Charlie? You never did tell me that." Phil was backing away now. He knew what was coming. Aro and the others, save for Rein, were about to find out that it was him. His trying to escape did not go unnoticed. Edward made a step towards him.

Before I could blink, Aro was vamp-speeding to Phil. I had just enough time to step in front of Phil and get between them. Aro was looking at me with his jaw set. "Please, Aro, don't."

"It was Phil, wasn't it?" Edward asked. He looked mad. As if he didn't already know, he was the mind-reader after all.

"Yes, it was me. What of it?" Phil said. I just gaped at him; these could be his last seconds alive.

"Why?" Jasper asked.

"I was in love with Bella's mother-"

"Do not even start that shit, Phil! You didn't love her! And you don't want me, now, either! You are a delusional monster who couldn't stand having Aro like someone better than you!" I screamed.

"You wanna bet?" He was behind me so it was rather easy for him to get me around the stomach and kiss me faster than I could have expected. But just as his lips almost met mine, Edward came up behind him and twisted his arm behind his back, knocked him to the ground, and got his knee on his Phil's spine.

"Do not ever, I repeat ever, Phil, try to kiss her again. If you so much as look at Bella the wrong way, one more time, I may have to break your back and light you like a cigarette. Got it?" I was too stunned to do anything but watch with my mouth hanging to the floor. Edward may not have saved my life, but he saved me from a kiss I would much rather have avoided. He let Phil up and he grumbled a bit. Edward put the bad-boy façade back up but it didn't fool me this time. "Are you okay, princess?" he sneered.

"Yes."

"Okay then."

"Alright then," I quipped back.

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Yeah, that's what I said," Edward replied, annoyed.

"I know! And I am just replying!" I yelled. I was aware that we were being watched, but we were too into this built-up anger argument to care.

"Well stop it!"

"Make me!"

"I will," he said.

"Really? Cause I think you are all talk," I jested.

"I do more than talk, Isabella," he threatened.

"It seems that that is the only thing you do because you are always doing it!"

"Look who has the nerve to talk!"

"Edward Volturi, you-"

"I what?"

"Nothing."

"Really, because it seemed like a something."

"It was a nothing!" I yelled. He looked frustrated.

About this time, Aro cleared his throat looking amused and sliding his eyes from me to Edward. Aro's grin was wide. Rein, Jacob, and Phil looked only slightly affected. Emmett and Jasper had wide grins. The emotions varied and I didn't even know why.

There wasn't a large gap between Edward and I. Without realizing, we had both been leaning toward the other. I was slightly embarrassed and red filled my cheeks as Emmett laughed. Edward and I took a step back at the same time and we glared at each other.

"Are we even, yet?" he asked in a low voice. That caught me off guard and my eyes went wide.

"Even for what?" I asked.

"For you getting shot."

"You never had to get even with me," I whispered.

"Then why did you do it?"

"I don't know."

"That isn't good enough for me, Bella," he said. We were locked into each others' eyes. Edward made me feel funny, deep down, and I liked it more than I should. We were leaning toward each other again, but we didn't care. I could feel the stairs of Jacob and Rein on me, along with everyone else, but I couldn't look away from those eyes that told me what kind of murderer I was falling for. Yes, I was falling for Edward Volturi.

"Then I hope you enjoy disappointment," I whispered back.

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**AN: I had fun writing this chapter. I know it isn't long, but this was exactly how I wanted this chapter, honestly. I couldn't wait for the men to realize that Bella and Edward may actually have chemistry between them. Because Edward is Edward in any form, Bella cannot resist him for long. We all know this.**

**You don't have to have an account to review, so please review, and if you do have an account, I would appreciate hearing from you as well. 8-)**

**Review or PM.**

**~Sylvia~**


	18. Fight Me, Bite Me

**AN: Sorry it's been so long. I just really enjoy writing random crap for this story so I like writing it, but I never have to time or ideas. This one makes me laugh so here ya go.**

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**"_Are we even, yet?" he asked in a low voice. That caught me off guard and my eyes went wide._

"_Even for what?" I asked._

"_For you getting shot."_

"_You never had to get even with me," I whispered._

"_Then why did you do it?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_That isn't good enough for me, Bella," he said. We were locked into each others' eyes. Edward made me feel funny, deep down, and I liked it more than I should. We were leaning toward each other again, but we didn't care. I could feel the stairs of Jacob and Rein on me, along with everyone else, but I couldn't look away from those eyes that told me what kind of murderer I was falling for. Yes, I was falling for Edward Volturi._

"_Then I hope you enjoy disappointment," I whispered back._

_

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_**18. Fight Me, Bite Me**

"Hit me, Bella," Jacob whispered. He was across the room from me, just staring, sizing me up. See, I had decided that he should teach me how to fight so that I would know how if the need came. He insisted that I would never have to fight because all the guys here would fight anyone who would try to get at me. I didn't think so. So here we were, in Edward's room. Yes, I chose this room. First, we could do damage to furniture in here, Edward's furniture. Second, this room was supposed to be mine but I had chosen the healing room, instead, so this would be a good cover-up. And lastly, it was just me and Jake so we decided to go somewhere far from everyone else because they didn't know that I was doing this and I think Emmett would kill Jake if he found out.

I knew that we wouldn't really have a lot of time to do this because "the herd" has a way of spending all the time it can with me- the herd being the Volturi guys who constantly want to watch me like a little half-human half-vampire guinea-pig experiment.

I needed a break.

"Hit you? I couldn't do damage if I tried. You are a… giant," I said. I was starting to think that this idea would get me hurt, not on purpose, but accidentally, like always.

"Come on, Bells. We don't have a lot of time. You know they are going to be up here in mere minutes to receive their daily dosage of delicious Bellaness-"

"Okay, okay," I said as I walked across the room to him. I hit him in the chest as hard as I could and skreached when I heard a crunch.

"Bella!"

"Was that Bella?!"

"I'm coming sis!"

"I'm sure she is perfectly fine."

"Well, we know _that_! That part is obvious."

"Oops," I whispered to Jake.

"That doesn't cover it. You just broke your hand on my chest. You just gave me a death sentence," Jake laughed, "And now 'the herd' is coming to check on you. I bet they think you are being attacked. Their poor Bella is gonna get hurt," he laughed. I didn't like his attitude.

I tackled him. He wasn't expecting it so we both sprawled on the ground. My hand only hurt a little and it wouldn't take long for it to heal back. I was on his chest, he was on mine, and back and back again. We were rolling on the floor like there was no tomorrow, laughing hysterically.

We forgot "the herd" was coming.

"Bella, we heard your screaming and-" Aro began. Jake and I looked up at him and the rest of the mob, who were now cramming into the room, staring at us. Busted.

"Hey," I said. Jake and I both realized out position as the others did. On our last roll, Jacob had ended up on top, and my legs were holding on for dear life to his back. We looked at each other and flipped over again. But now I was on top. "This is way awkward," I whispered to Jake.

"We should get up and pretend nothing happened," he whispered back. We were both fully aware that everything we said and did was being seen and heard, but we shook it off. I unhooked my legs and stood up, offering my hand to Jake, who took it gratefully. "Thanks."

One look at the faces in the room and we busted into laughter. This was so awkward. "Hey," I said again between giggles. "Hey," Jake said.

"Bella! What the crap? And… YOU!" Emmett yelled. "How dare you, smelly! Don't touch her!"

"Emmy, it seriously wasn't what it looked like," I reasoned. He looked beyond mad.

"Not what it looked like? He attacked you!"

"She attacked me!" Jake laughed out.

"How dare you!" Emmett charged. I may not be super-fast but I made it between them.

"HEY! I said it wasn't what it looked like! So stop it!"

"What happened to your hand?" Rein and Edward asked simultaneously.

Jake laughed, "She broke it. What does it look like?" They looked at him like he had two heads.

"You act like it is no big deal!" they yelled. I laughed out loud at the fact that they kept saying things at the same time. Who knew that two people who hated each other had so much in common? "And you act like it is one." I said.

"Well, Bella, it is a big deal," Aro reasoned.

"It's gonna be healed in, like, thirty minutes," I said, but they ignored me.

"How did she break it?" Rein asked no one in particular as he took my hand and examined it. Apparently it was a worse break than I thought because my hand was purple.

"Uh, ouch," I said. "But, hey, it's gonna heal back in a while," but no one was listening to me.

"Dude, she broke it on my chest," Jake laughed out.

"Hey, you try hitting yourself on the chest and see if you don't break something," I grumbled. Many of the others laughed.

"Why did you hit him?" Edward asked.

"He told me to."

"I most certainly did not tell you to put your full weight behind it!" Jake yelled. He was very amused by this situation, very amused indeed.

"Well, next time-"

"Oh, no, missy, there is not going to be a next time!" Emmett yelled.

"But Emmy!"

"Do not 'but Emmy' me, Bella! What are you doing hitting a werewolf? And you, wolf, you should have known that it would hurt her! Why did you tell her to do it? And you, Rein, why were you not here watching her? And-"

"Stop." Aro said. And Emmett did. It was silent as everyone calmed down.

"Yes, it's definitely healing. Ah," I said. It was starting to hurt. "Ouch!"

"What is it?" Rein asked.

"My hand hurts. I can feel the bones growing back. Jacob, I am going to kill you," I said.

"What does it feel like?" Jacob asked.

"It feels like I have bones growing back! It hurts!"

"Well, next time I tell you to hit me, maybe you shouldn't do it so hard."

"No, I am not learning from you. You hurt too much."

"And you think a vampire would feel better?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Bella, it would hurt you either way. Like I said, you wouldn't have to even if it came to that because none of them would let it happen."

"Says you."

"Says them."

"Shut up."

"What are you going on about?" Aro asked.

"Bella wants to…"

"Don't you dare, Jake."

"Shut up, Bells. You see, Bella wants to learn how to fight in case she ever needs to know. I insisted that none of you would leave her to defend herself, but she is so damn stubborn that she wouldn't let me not teach her," he explained.

"You are so silly, Bella," Emmett said.

"Not really."

"Stubborn," all of them said.

"Okay, first off… ouch… You guys need to stop saying stuff at the same time. It is creepy… ouch… And second, my hand hurts. So let's stop talking," I offered.

"Bella wants us to stop talking? Does that mean you are going to stop, too?" Edward asked.

I glared back and simply nodded. And it was quiet. After an hour of us looking at each other in turn, and no one talked, and no sound except for a few gasps of pain from me, my hand was healed and Emmett and I were having a silent argument about what had happened. I shook my head when he motioned to Jacob and made a throat-slashing gesture. "No," I said.

"And the silence is broken!" Felix yelled.

"How is your hand?" Rein asked.

"It's all better. Now I can kill Jake myself," I grinned.

"It wasn't my fault. It was all your idea, Bells. Come on, just forgive me and move on." I didn't think I was very intimidating but Jake was backing away from me and stopped when he hit the wall.

"Okay!" I said innocently and I got the desired affect: everyone laughed and Jake looked relieved.

"Fight me!" I yelled.

"Bite me!" Jake yelled.

"Very nice. Take advantage of the vampire in me," I said.

"No, I just know that you won't bite me."

"Wanna bet?"

"No."

"Didn't think so."

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**AN: I don't know about this chapter. It was just a random thing that popped into my head. I really, really like doing chapters like these that have no purpose at all. It is just great. Sorry about the shortness and the long wait.**

**~Sylvia~**


	19. Vote Poll

**AN: There is a poll on my profile for you... If you wish to have ANY say in who Bella will end up with in this story, I suggest you vote.**

**If you do not vote, please, do not be upset with the ending choice.**

**I hope that all of you readers will vote who you want Bella to be with, because I want your input; after all, this story is for YOUR entertainment.**

**Thank you.**

**~Sylvia~**


	20. Is It Even a Relationship, Really?

**AN: I have extremely good news that will blow your minds, and it is mainly the reason I haven't updated in so long… I am turned 16 on March 1 and I… Am starting college next year! Yes. Out of the sophomore class at my school- made of 227 students- 13 students were chosen to attend college Junior and Senior year… And… It's free! I get 36 college hours free and I go to school every day for only 6 hrs! I am very excited and I have been waiting to get in since October. Also, I have a boyfriend now. He is amazing to me and I feel blessed to have him.**

**Edward won the poll. The people have spoken!**

**Back to the story plot now, but funnies will be here, no worries.**

**Enjoy this long-awaited chapter!**

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**_"It wasn't my fault. It was all your idea, Bells. Come on, just forgive me and move on." I didn't think I was very intimidating but Jake was backing away from me and stopped when he hit the wall._

_"Okay!" I said innocently and I got the desired affect: everyone laughed and Jake looked relieved._

_"Fight me!" I yelled._

_"Bite me!" Jake yelled._

_"Very nice. Take advantage of the vampire in me," I said._

_"No, I just know that you won't bite me."_

_"Wanna bet?"_

_"No."_

"Didn't think so."

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**19. Is It Even a Relationship, Really?**

Warm sheets. That's what I would miss when I left.

My bags- lack thereof, actually- were packed, theoretically. The decision was made, anyways. And no one knew but me. I was just in bed trying to sleep when I realized I hadn't missed Carlisle or Esme, or Rose or Ali. That was when I knew I had to leave. I had become sucked into the world of Volterra Vampires, and that was what I never wanted to do.

Yes, I finally had the strength to leave. And the only thing I would miss was the warm, soft sheets.

But we both know I would miss more than that.

It was time to leave. To escape, finally. That's what I wanted since the beginning, right?

Who was I kidding?

I would miss Emmett. I would miss Jacob, but surely he would go back to Forks- the only reminder of my week here. He was staying to wait for me to leave, so that he could leave, but I want to do this on my own. If Jacob came with me, it would give the wrong impression. Ugh, what did I give about what the Volturi thought of me? And since when? And yet, I am leaving without Jake.

I didn't let myself think about Edward or Rein. Really, just Rein. I had already decided I don't like Edward. No shock there. But Rein had doctored me and he had feelings for me, deep feelings. Another reason I needed to escape. Don't let anyone in, close enough to see the monster inside. When they see, they leave.

If only I could leave myself! I tricked myself into believing I could have a life here. No way, not now, not ever. What would Carlisle say? Esme? They raised me and I betray them by becoming one of the ones that killed my father? Their best friend. And my mother.

It was lucky, fate maybe, that everyone was gone hunting humans tonight. I guess Aro forgot how much I wanted to leave this place. Even the ones I was so forward with about my dislike, trusted that I would stay, that I liked it here. And I do- did.

Confusion, anger, betrayal. That's what I felt, and it was toward me and no one else. They hadn't really done anything to me. Befriended, buttered up. And I was blinded for a while.

But blindfolds come off, if you want to take them off badly enough.

So am taking mine off, now.

Hey, you should be happy for me! Tell me you don't want me to leave! You know how awful these vampires can be. What if you are their next meal?

I wouldn't mind, either. Not the point.

Alec, I'd miss him, too. Yes, Phil and Felix were the ones I would be least likely to miss, and I would still feel empty without the constant teasing. And the compliments. The compliments that made me feel more like a beautiful person on the inside than a murdering monster. What made me different from them, really? We were all killers. But not all of us enjoyed it.

The castle was quiet. I was alone. Fate, like I said. I could get out easily. Sure, they would know where I went, but the Volturi cannot hold me any longer, and they can't follow me because it would cause suspicion. This was the perfect plan.

The only flaw was me and my lack of resolve, which I thought was so solid a minute ago when I was in bed. I would miss Arlene, too. She would be coming back in a day from her trip to a larger hunting ground- meaning a city with lots of people.

I hoped that Arlene would be understanding of my escape, after all, we were both trapped. Prisoners only allowed to go so far, with permission.

Emmett. My brother. And Jasper.

Yes, my resolve is weakening, but I can't give in. You know I can't.

Maybe not.

The front of Volturi Castle never looked so welcoming. I had come to like it. A lot.

I waved "goodbye" and walked away.

**Rein POV** **(HeeHee, first time I have EVER done another POV with actual words)**

"I think Bella may be coming to like us," I said to Emmett. He was attached, of course. Bella was beautiful, but he wasn't attracted to her that way. Emmett was only a brother. I hated to think it, but it was better that way. Of course, Edward and Jacob would be my only other competition. How could I think this way? Never before had I cared about a woman so much. I'd had girlfriends, but they were just that: girls and friends of mine. Bella… Bella is different. She has a fire about her that can't be tamed- and I don't want to tame it.

But she is cannot be convinced of being so wonderful, of course; she is so stubborn!- convinced that she is a monster, when she is not. Clearly. How could she be?

"She liked me the first day," was Emmett's booming, gloating reply. Not many know it, but Emmett and I are close. We talk. He knew better than anyone my feelings for Bella. Well, Edward had an idea. And of course, everyone had seen me kiss her. And what a kiss. So soft, so fair. I didn't like to think of it, but there was something missing. Maybe it was the fact I had never kissed anyone before that night. Well, yes, that was my first kiss. No one knows that besides me.

"I noticed," I said.

"That was such a lovely human! Jeeze, the taste! I like the blond ones, but the brunettes! Can't beat a brunette's blood. Speaking of, I think Bella smells better than anything I have ever smelled," Felix yelled, jubilant.

"Don't talk about her that way," I said in a dangerously low voice. I like to keep my calm, but sometimes, these idiots get to me. I could understand Bella's annoyance.

"Oh, I forgot; you have the feelings for her," he said in disgust. "Now, don't get me wrong; that is one nice piece of peach, but she is too mouthy for me. I like tough ones, but she won't stop talking."

"It is, perhaps, a part of her charm," Aro suggested. Felix snorted.

"I think she is quite extraordinary," added Caius.

"Remarkable," from Marcus.

"She is something," Edward said.

That's the first time he ever talked about her to any of us, and it wasn't even negative.

**Edward POV**

Bella this. Bella that. Gosh, could they talk about anything else? My father adored her, my uncles thought she was "extraordinary" and "remarkable". Had they ever said that about me? A few times, until my mind-reading ability became old news. Not that I was craving affection. I got that from my female affections.

Emmett is smitten with brotherly affection for her.

Felix is smitten with physical attraction to her.

Rein is in love. And he doesn't even know it, yet.

Me? I think she is a thorn. A thorn from a rose. But this is not because she is stubborn, persistent, mouthy, etc. She is a thorn because she doesn't let anyone near her. She keeps silent. Not that I care, really. I'm just perceptive, even to a closed book. Bella girl-who-can't-choose-a-last-name is not a monster. Anyone can see that, but not everyone can see how much she wishes that was true. Not even Rein can see how much she despises herself.

The others have forgotten that Bella wanted to leave, badly when she first came to Volterra. The others have let down their guard of her. They expect she will stay because she belongs with us. They are wrong. Yes, she has made friends here, but she is too different and we are too much reminders of monsters, of the monster she is, for her to stay very long. She doesn't want to be attached. I can understand.

Soon, she will leave, and they will see how foolish they were to leave her unguarded, unprotected, even from her own thoughts of leaving. Not that I would want her here. Not that I care. She provides amusement, yes.

But what is amusement?

She will leave, soon.

I could care less, really.

**Jacob POV**

The leeches went hunting.

Human blood.

I got a bed to sleep in 'cause I decided to stay with Bella until she decided to leave this hell-hole. My bed's in the dungeon room, door unlocked. Good for me. 'Least it's comfortable.

Leeches won't be back for another ever, not that I care much.

I care about Bella. She is all the way up there, and I am all the way down here.

She's gotta be lonely since all her vampire pals are out. Ew.

To check on her, or to leave her alone- that is the question.

Check on her, of course! 'Cause she might be lonely…

**Arlene POV**

Ah, nothin' like the aftertaste of human. Poor Bella; it must be hard to be friends with us all. We like human blood; nothing like it out there, baby!

I'm back early, in case you were wondering! I think I will surprise Bella. She will probably be sleeping right about now… Would be a good time to tell her she looks like shit. HeeHee. Let's do this thing.

**Bella POV**

The taxi smells like fish. Rotten fish. Pooh.

On my way to the airport, and riding in a taxi that smells like fish.

Or is that the driver?

Gross.

**Jacob POV**

It's dark. Yeah. No leeches around.

And yet, the stench never leaves! Air freshener couldn't help this smell. The things I do for you, Bella.

I was halfway up, in the elevator, when I decided I should tell Bella I was thinking about leaving. I wouldn't leave without her, but maybe I can convince her to leave. Maybe even tonight?

But I guess… She already thought about that.

"Arlene? You're back early. Where's Bella?" I wasn't worried, exactly. Well, yes I was.

**Rein POV**

"Are we going back now? I miss Bella," Alec stated. "I would like to talk to her."

"Again with talking about Bella!" Phil yelled.

Idiots, the whole lot of them. But I had to admit, Alec had a point about missing Bella. I missed her, too. I think we all did.

And another thing… I think I am in love with her.

**Aro POV**

"I do believe we can convince Bella to change her diet," I reasoned to my brothers.

"No you can't," my son, Edward, and Rein said.

"How do you know for sure? I am almost positive she will come around to us, soon."

We were approaching the castle, the lot of us. Bella was calling us all back to her, but it seemed odd, somehow. It felt like she wasn't there anymore. It felt as if the pull was coming from the opposite direction.

When we made it to the end of Edward's hallway- to the room Bella was using, we heard Jacob yelling. The pup was a nuisance, but Bella fancied him, so he was allowed to stay. Since when do I let a girl have power? Aren't I the law?

I question it all now.

**Arlene POV**

I really, really _did not_ want to be the one to tell them, really. It would be bad to see the reaction- to be at the end of it. Gosh, Bella; I understand why you did it. But why now?

Dammit.

**Rein POV**

We approached Bella's room and there was Arlene and Jacob, arguing. Bella's name was mentioned, and Edward and I said, "What about her?"

"She's gone."

**Edward POV**

What did I tell you?

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**AN: Hope you enjoyed! It was different doing other POVs but I liked it a lot! Tell me what you thought and whose POV you would like to see. Tell me about the ones I used. Sorry the update took so long. There should be a new one within the week! 8-) COLLEGE IN AUGUST! Boyfriend! Sorry, random happiness.**

**You don't have to have a FanFiction account to review, so review!**

~Sylvia~


	21. Volterra to Forks

**AN: UPDATES WILL BE SOONER NOW! **

**I received a private msg, and you know who you are. You inspired me to update. It will be easier for me to update now because school is out for summer. I know where I am going with this story. The problem during school was that I had homework and a job to balance. I will update more often now. Thanks to the one who pushed me. 8-) And thank you to all who reviewed.**

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****Arlene POV**

I really, really _did not_ want to be the one to tell them, really. It would be bad to see the reaction- to be at the end of it. Gosh, Bella; I understand why you did it. But why now?

Dammit.

**Rein POV**

We approached Bella's room and there was Arlene and Jacob, arguing. Bella's name was mentioned, and Edward and I said, "What about her?"

"She's gone."

**Edward POV**

What did I tell you?

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**20. Volterra to Forks**

The plane ride was not bad at all because I was looking forward to seeing my family again. I missed Rose and Alice, and I really felt bad about having them lie to Esme and Carlisle about where I was these past two weeks.

Was it really only two weeks?

It felt like a lifetime.

I wonder who found out I was gone first. Maybe they haven't even noticed. It's been less than twelve hours. Somehow it was hard to believe they did not know I was gone, and I did not want to admit that I thought about them coming after me. A part of me wished they would, but the rational part told me they shouldn't. Why would they?

"Taxi," I yelled. The airport was full of people, but I got a taxi.

The ride home did not smell like fish, thank goodness. It smelled like the pine thing you hand on the front mirror, like new car smell, but I could tell this was not a new car. Maybe the rips in the seats were an indicator.

"Where ya headed?"

"Port Angeles," I answered automatically. I wonder what Rosalie and Alice told Carlisle and Esme about where I was. Did they tell them about my vacation, but leave out the where? They must have left out the where.

"I hope you don't mind my saying so, miss, but you are beautiful," the driver said. I hadn't noticed before, but he was about my age. He reminded me of a mixture of Edward and Rein with a voice like Alec.

"I mind."

**Alec POV**

Bella, gone? Why would she leave? Did she not like us anymore? Did she not like _me_ anymore? How could she leave without a goodbye? There must be a reason. She liked it here, didn't she?

"What do we do about this, Aro?" Felix asked. "Personally, I think we should go and bring her little Miss Priss butt back here, pronto."

Aro looked furious. He did not expect her to leave, either, did he? None of us did.

"I did," Edward answered me. All heads turned toward him. "Come on, you know she hated it here. She wanted to leave and we gave her the chance by leaving her here alone. Who cares, though? Let her go. We can go back to the way things were before her."

"It is not that easy, son," Aro began. "She simply cannot be allowed to leave and stay away. We have not learned enough about her, yet."

"What's to learn? She hates herself and has an attitude. She is not a threat to us, Aro, believe me," Phil stated.

"Why would she leave without a goodbye?" Emmett asked, hurt. I guess he was feeling about the same way I was.

"But think of the possibilities in this situation," Felix began, "This could be fun. Hear me out. She will be going home, right? We can watch her there-"

"You mean spy on her?" Rein said, outraged. "She would be onto us the first time we tried. She is too bright and far too observant to let something like that by her."

"Maybe, but do we really care?"

"We should," Rein replied. "As much as we may miss her, we cannot all go and spy on her. She left for a reason, Felix. The best we can do is ask her to come back-"

"I like the idea of going to spy on her," Phil said. Felix pounded his shoulder.

"Let's not consider it as spying. She will know that we are there, so let us learn from her in her own space," Aro began. "If she refuses to stay here, we must simply follow her. A vote should settle the matter, but those who go will be rewarded. Those who stay will receive their due," he warned.

"A vote," Caius and Marcus said.

"I'm in," Felix said.

"Me too," from Phil.

"This is insane," Edward stated. "This won't work."

"Ye of little faith, Eddy," Phil teased.

"Do not call me that."

"Enough," Aro spat. "Edward, Emmett, Jasper, and Felix will enroll in the local school. Rein can be a teacher. We can easily get rid of a teacher, can we not? Maybe even another if Phil would like a job."

"Let's take out the whole staff!" Emmett boomed. He was excited.

"What will I do?" I asked.

"You look like a freshmeat," Felix commented. "You could enroll, too." This excited me a little.

"I'm in."

**Edward POV**

"What if I don't want to go?" I asked.

"Then stay," Rein stated. "We all know you don't care about her. Why should we force you on a trip you don't want to take? Just stay here. We can handle this. I'm in. I want to be the school doctor."

"It's called a nurse," I said. "I'm in. I won't have anything else to do."

Jasper spoke for the first time, "You do realize, all of you, that Forks, Washington is a very small place. Humans are scarce, you see. How will we maintain our diet? And have any of you thought about the fact that being around humans may be difficult?"

"We are around humans all the time," Emmett reminded him.

"If you think we can do this and still keep ourselves secret, I'm in," Jasper said, but he looked wary.

"You all do realize this is insane? It is spare of the moment and completely ridiculous!" Arlene yelled. "I care about Bella, but I want to stay here. Someone needs to stay here."

Aro commanded, "All right, Edward, Jasper, Emmett, Alec, and Felix will enroll in Forks High. Arlene and Jane will stay here. Rein and Phil will be teachers. Marcus, Caius, and I will stay inconspicuous elsewhere. Understood? Do not reveal yourselves… Or you will answer to me."

I noticed that Jacob hadn't said a word.

"What about the wolves? None of you have stopped to think about the wolves," I said.

"Now you think about the consequences of your little party," the dog said. "I wondered how long it would take you leeches to figure out you were headed into your deaths."

I growled at this.

"A pact has been made with Carlisle, has it not?"

"Yes, but we will not extend it to other leeches. Carlisle is a good man, and my father became an acquaintance with Bella's father. We stand against the likes of you."

"You haven't a choice if we hunt outside of your town," Caius said. "And we will."

"You will begin a war if you go to Forks," Jacob warned. "And you will all die. The wolves have waited for an opportunity like this, so by all means, go. My guys and girl are just jumping with the opportunity to kill some leeches."

"We will do nothing to begin a war. We will abide by your rules," Aro stated. "We begin a pact, right now, that if the Volturi hunt out of your town-"

"Let me make you a deal, Aro," Jacob began. "Your eye color is red now, but if you hunt animals, it will become a topaz like Carlisle's. You've seen him. If you want this bad enough, will you leeches be able to hunt animals only? Can you do that?"

"Gross," Phil mumbled.

"We can," Aro stated.

"Fine then, stay in Forks. Good luck getting rid of teachers."

"We can arrange that without ending their lives," Marcus said.

"Oh, and another thing: if a single one of you hurts Bella in any way, I will kill you. Don't think for a moment that I won't, leeches."

"I promise no harm will come to her."

"This is nuts," I said. "Completely nuts. You have all lost your minds."

"I guess Bella does that to a person." Everyone agreed with Rein. They may have thought this was a good idea, but I was not fooled. It would work for a little while, but not for long. They didn't even stop to think about what Carlisle's reaction would be to this.

There were so many things that could go wrong. I would not admit it to anyone, but I was glad for the excitement, even though it was completely dumb.

I was not excited about seeing Bella. Absolutely not.

**Bella POV**

Port Angeles. Wow, it's been a while.

I decided to go shopping for books while I was in town. There was not a single book to read in Volterra, which was a crime. There was never any time alone to read, either. It is nice having the freedom to do what I want, again. "Can I help you," a guy from behind the counter asked.

"Not really," I replied with a laugh. I was feeling happy about being back in town. It felt natural to be back.

"Oh," he laughed. "Hey, sorry to bother you, but I just moved here. You don't happen to know where Forks High is, do you?"

"Actually, I go there."

"Oh, well… I'm Brice. You can call me Bri, or Brice. Whichever."

"I'm Bella."

"Isabella. It fits you. It means beautiful-"

"In Italian," I finished. Why was I making friends with this guy I just met? I don't know. But his hair was short and curly like Emmett's and he had a southern drawl like Jasper. "Where are you from?"

"Texas. My mom got tired of all the sun so she moved us here. She likes rain." Yep, you could definitely tell this guy was from a sunny place. He was very tan, tall, and wore boots and holey jeans. I could just picture him with a little cowboy hat on.

"Wow, sounds like the opposite of me. I like the sun."

"Me too; I don't like rain. I think Forks will be a nightmare. Well, I thought it would be," he said, giving me a look.

"Well, I better go. When do you start school?"

"Tomorrow," he said. Monday. I wonder what my excuse for two weeks absence will be?

"I guess I will see you there, then."

"Yeah," he smiled, and I walked out the door. Weird. Why did I just make friends with that guy?

It was easy to get home. I caught a ride with Mike Newton, from school. He has a huge crush on me, for whatever reason. He reminds me of a golden retriever because of his hair. The fact, also, that he always does things for me, most of them annoying, adds to that.

"Thanks, Mike, I appreciate it," I said as I got into the car.

"Hey, Bella, where have you been lately?"

"I took a vacation."

"Where?"

"Italy," I said, rather annoyed. He was so nosy.

"What all did you do there?"

"I met lots of men," I said, and it shut him up for the whole ride.

**Edward POV**

Being a hundred year old vampire in a family with lots of resources comes in handy often. We have a private jet. Arlene knew had to drive the thing so we made it to Forks only about an hour after Bella.

Jane had not been happy to be told she was staying in Volterra. Something made me think she was jealous of Bella. Maybe it was her thought_; I wish Aro paid that much attention to me_. Yeah, I know how you feel, Jane.

Bella, for whatever reason, decided to go shopping for books. I wish I could read her mind; I bet it's entertaining, I laughed to myself.

_She is gorgeous. I think I am in love_, the guy in the bookstore thought.

I stopped laughing.

**Rein POV**

"This feels wrong," I said. Of course, hiding in bushes watching Bella talking to a guy in a bookstore is wrong, stalker-ish even.

"It's funny, though. That guy is all into her," Phil said. Felix laughed.

I saw Edward stiffen out of the corner of my eye. I guess he notice in the guy's mind what all of us were thinking: the guy was indeed into Bella.

**Phil POV**

"Who the hell is that?"

We all turned to see a silly blond boy stopping his excuse of a vehicle beside Bella.

"Need a ride, Bella?" He smiled.

"That would be great, Mike," she said.

"She knows that idiot?" Edward was incredulous.

"Is someone jealous," I asked.

"Over this Mike? Not a bit."

It did not escape any of our attentions that he did not deny there was an object to be jealous for. Edward didn't seem to notice.

**Bella POV**

"Thanks for the ride, Mike," I said.

"Will you be at school tomorrow?"

"Yes," I said, exasperated. Would he never give up?

"You're tired. I will see you tomorrow," he said.

When I got inside, it was dark. "Hello? Emse, Carlisle? Rose! Alice! Are you home?"

"Bella! Oh, dear, we missed you!" Esme enveloped me in a hug almost immediately. "Where have you been? We have been so worried!"

"Hey, mom. I was just taking some time away. I'm all good now," I said with tears in my eyes.

"I'm glad you're back," Carlisle joined the hug.

"I'm so sorry I worried you. I just needed some time."

"Hey," Rosalie and Alice said.

"I missed you so much," I told them. They all looked shocked at this, and then I realized that I've never told them how much I love them, or how much they mean to me. Maybe I realized more in Volterra than I thought. "I love you," I told them.

I was greeted with smiles that told me I was forgiven, there would be no more questions asked, and I would always be loved.

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**AN: All right, I know this may start giving you whiplash. I had this idea and I just had to start going with it. This may be a very long story, so I hope you like it. Updates will come more often because of summer.**

**You have to let me know. This is a whole new direction with the story and I need your input about it. Tell me what you think about this direction.**

**You do not have to have an account to review, so review! All of you!**

**~Sylvia~**


	22. Forks High: Volturi Invasion

**AN: As promised: an update! For those who reviewed, thank you! For those who read the story, thank you, but please review! This chapter was funny for me. I hope you like it.  
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**"Bella! Oh, dear, we missed you!" Esme enveloped me in a hug almost immediately. "Where have you been? We have been so worried!"

"Hey, mom. I was just taking some time away. I'm all good now," I said with tears in my eyes.

"I'm glad you're back," Carlisle joined the hug.

"I'm so sorry I worried you. I just needed some time."

"Hey," Rosalie and Alice said.

"I missed you so much," I told them. They all looked shocked at this, and then I realized that I've never told them how much I love them, or how much they mean to me. Maybe I realized more in Volterra than I thought. "I love you," I told them.

I was greeted with smiles that told me I was forgiven, there would be no more questions asked, and I would always be loved.

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**21. Forks High: Volturi Invasion**

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Ugh. I had gotten so used to being woken up by vampires staring at me that an alarm clock was not so bad anymore. What was upsetting was the thought of going back to school. Esme and Carlisle had not asked any questions about my whereabouts these past weeks, and I was thankful, but I could tell that they suspected something was up.

They advised that I go back to school today.

I had time to think about what I would tell everyone today: I was off visiting. What or who I was visiting, I wouldn't tell a soul, but they did not need to know I was with a group of very interesting vampires from Italy, did they?

I wondered how long I could keep that fact from Esme and Carlisle.

It took little time at all to get ready. While I was in Italy I held back some of my abilities. They knew I was fast, but they did not know I was the fastest of my family here in Forks. They did not know that I could go two weeks without feeding.

I had only fed once while I was in Italy.

I set my alarm clock a few hours early so that I could go and hunt before school. It would not be good, even with my control, to be around humans after so long with my own half-kind. The thought made me snort.

I put on some boy shorts and a short tank, my favorite hunting attire. I had a tendency to be a bit messy when I hunted. In Forks, people would think I was crazy if they saw what I was wearing, because of the cold, but my temperature is so hot- like that of a werewolf- that the cold does not bother me.

But where I lack in grace, I make up for in speed and witty personality.

Really, it's all just a freaking show for those who are watching me, but inside I feel hollow and empty. I won't let myself admit that I miss Emmett and Jasper, Alec and Rein.

Even Edward.

But it will be better this way, I thought. It is better that I am here and no longer trapped there with those psycho vampires.

I broke off at a fast run, after all, I had missed running with such intensity while I was around the Volturi. There was a lot I had to keep from them that I would be free to do here in Forks. Running, hunting, just being myself. I let out a burst of laughter as I jumped up onto a branch and looked across the small pond in the woods. Two male bucks. Perfect for breakfast.

Vampires tend to be a bit feline, especially when they hunt. Alice told me I look like a mountain lion when I hunt because I sprint like a cat. I took that as a compliment because she looked like a gazelle when she hunted. Mountain lion = way cooler than a gazelle; just saying.

I moved silently down the branch and down to some bushes across the pond from the bucks. They had no chance against me. I sniffed in their scent. This will be fun, I thought. I crouched down and bared my teeth, poised for attack. Here goes, I thought, and I sprinted into the air, did a flip, and grabbed both bucks by the neck. I pinned one of them with my feet while I drank the other. Then, I threw the carcass and finished off the second.

Still, I was hungry. I ran a little further into the woods and spotted a small doe. I passed it by. A bit later, I saw a wounded deer.

**Edward POV**

None of the others knew where I went to, but I came across Bella, hunting. I had to admit she was good at it. She reminded me of a lion sprinting about. Watching was glorious.

I did not consider this spying, but she had not a clue I was watching her from the shadows.

She was… spectacular.

**Bella POV**

After I finished with the deer, it was time to head back home and get changed.

I put on what Alice had chosen for me to wear to school: faded low-ride jeans, a dark blue v-neck that almost did not cover my belly, and 3 inch blue heels, as well. Obviously she was getting back at me for being gone so long by making me kill myself today by trying to walk in these things. Vampires are very graceful, but I am only half and the grace has skipped me big time. Another thing, this outfit would make me feel like a hooker all day.

Alice would know if I did not wear it, though. In the interest of my safety, I put it on. Actually, it was kind of comfortable.

I drove Alice's yellow Porsche to school because she and Rosalie were going shopping again, and they were going by plane. Apparently there was a big sale at Macy's in Chicago. They invited me to go, but you can guess what my answer was.

"Bella, where have you been? We missed you," Angela said when I parked my car in the school lot.

"I've been visiting-"

"Hey, Bella, you're back!" Eric Yorkie yelled. He was not as annoying as Mike, but he did the same job of annoying me to no end. Speaking of annoying…

"Oh boy, Bella, how ya been? Where ya been?" Tyler Crowley beamed.

"Gosh, boys, give her a break," Jessica said. Jessica Stanley was someone that Rose, Ali, and I did not get along with. Yes, I pretended to be all into her business and care where her handbag came from, but she was annoying and did not care the least bit about me as much as I did not care the least bit about her.

Alice said Jessica was jealous of me, for whatever reason. If anything, I would be jealous of her. She was gorgeous, on the outside at least.

I got out of the car and gave Angela a hug. She was the only true friend I knew I had in this school. "I missed you, Ang," I said. She looked shocked, and she should be. I don't often express my feelings to people. For some reason, that was becoming an easier thing to do.

Stupid vampires.

"Oh, Bella, guess what I heard? Listen, we have, like, two new teachers and they are H.O.T. I am not even kidding, Bella. I haven't seen them, yet. But I have heard. And another thing, there are, like, six new guy students, too! And they are-"

"Let me guess," I began.

"They are H.O.T.," Angela finished for me. She was not as blunt about her dislikes as I was, but she was just as annoyed by Jessica as I was.

"Exactly," Jessica yelled. I guess her day was made. "Five of the guys are from another country! And the other one is from-"

"Texas?"

"Well, hey, how did you know that?" she pouted.

"I met the one from Texas last night. His name is Brice," I confided to Angela. Jessica was almost comical with the anger she was feeling. She did not like being told gossip; she liked to be the one to spread it, and to know that I knew more than her ticked her off. Not that I cared. "He told me I could call him Bri," I prided.

"That's nice," and she walked away. Ang and I just laughed.

"Alice dressed you, didn't she?"

"Oh, was it the hooker jeans or the hooker top?"

"Definitely the hooker heels," she laughed. "You are going to fall so many times today," she frowned. "Why would Alice do that to you?" She thought about it a minute while I looked at her, and we just laughed. Alice would do anything when it came to fashion.

Angela did not know what I was, or that even if I fell, it would not hurt a bit.

First hour went by with Alice and me texting each other because she was bored. The mall was packed, apparently, and they could not move anywhere.

Brice was in my second hour. We sat across together because I did not want to sit by Mike or Jessica, who glared at the two of us all hour long. This amused Bri to no end and I enjoyed the friendship between us.

I did not give any thought about the new kids until lunch, when I saw them. Five of them, sitting at a table across the cafeteria from my table.

Vampires.

They weren't just vampires. I knew their names. In order. Alec, Felix, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward Volturi.

Oh shit. They followed me? They followed me!

"I told you the new guys were hot," Jessica whispered. I knew they could all hear from across the room. I was proven right when Emmett's booming laughter filled the room and the others snickered to themselves.

"They are _not_ hot," I said. This shut them up and I earned some glares.

"Are you blind, Bella? They most definitely are smoking sexy. You must be gay," she whispered.

"I sat with Bri in first hour," I said, nonchalant.

She gasped. "Really? Doesn't he have just the cutest southern drawl? Couldn't you just eat him up?" If only she knew how funny that was. Jasper, having a southern drawl himself, grinned from the corner of my eye.

"Those guys are from Italy," I told her. She just glared at me when I turned to look at them again.

"How do you know that? Oh well. Look at the one on the end. I think his name is Edmund or something-"

"It's Edward," I told her.

"Whatever. Isn't he the most delicious one? Look at that body. I like muscle, but the big guy is too much. I could just run my hand through Edward's hair all day. I could do things," she trailed off. I saw Edward grimace, and I laughed out loud.

"I'm sure he would enjoy that," I told her.

"I think I might ask him out."

"I wouldn't advise that," I said.

She just looked at me and raised a brow. "Why? Do you have the hots for him?" I saw every head at that table turn towards me.

"No."

"Then you won't mind my asking him to a movie in Port Angeles."

"Nope."

She looked skeptical of me, but she let it go. I thought she would not have the guts to ask him.

Wait. The vamps' eyes were not red. Contacts maybe? They certainly had not changed their diet. No freaking way. They would never in a hundred years do that, literally. It was shown through their diet for that long.

As soon as I got up to dump my tray, so did they. Jessica did not notice, but Mike did. I saw him watching the guys get up and walk out the door as I started towards it. From the side, I saw him punch Tyler and Eric so that they all watched me. I was aware that my shirt was riding up, but what was the point in pulling it up if it would just fall down again?

I walked down the hallway and did not see them. They were playing with me.

"Well don't you look fine today," Felix said. I spun around, suddenly conscious that my belly button was showing. I pulled my shirt below it, but skin still showed.

"Hey."

They were all leaning against the wall with their arms crossed. Male models, I thought.

"Nice eyes," I said.

"Thanks, Bella," Alec said. "We got contacts." I smiled.

"Just couldn't stay away, huh?"

"We missed you, sis. How could you just leave like that? Without a goodbye?" Emmy was hurt.

"Look, I needed to get away."

They just looked at me up and down. Stupid guys. The Three B's rule them. Boobs, Butts, and Bellies. Vampires are just as bad about it, if not worse.

"What are you wearing?" Jasper asked.

"My sister is a fashionista. She likes to dress me," I said.

"I don't like you dressing like that," Emmett commented. "A guy with blond hair was trying to catch a peak. The freak show. I almost ripped his head off."

"Hell, I don't mind one bit. I like the show," Felix said, staring at me openly.

"I didn't have a choice. You think I wanna dress like a hooker?"

"That color is nice," Edward spoke for the first time. "It looks nice with your skin," he added. I gaped.

"Thanks," I mumbled.

"Now, what are you kids doing in the hallway?"

"Phil? Oh, no. Tell me you are not one of the new teachers. Oh, say it aint so," I whined.

"Aint is not a correct term, Miss Cullen," he laughed. "Hmmm, that outfit is definitely not dress code, Miss Cullen. I'm going to have to ask you to come to my room for a moment," he added.

"Very mature, Phillip," I turned to see Rein.

"Oh my gosh. You guys are just taking over my high school, aren't you?"

"I like that color on you, Bella," Rein said. "But the shirt could be longer," he added. Even Rein was staring!

"Bella, is everything okay?"

Mike Newton. Of course, exactly what I needed in this situation. "It's fine, Mike."

"Who are these guys?"

"They plan to date-rape me, Mike. Now, go away so they can finish me off." I got a burst of laughs from this one. They obviously noted my dislike of Mike Newton. I could see that Edward was glaring at him. I wondered why.

"Rape," Mike gasped.

"Not while we are here," Tyler yelled.

"Gosh, go away," I said.

It would require much embarrassment for me, but I knew how to get rid of them. Vampires can dazzle easily, but I can dazzle better than they can. I have had to use it several times on these guys throughout the year. Guess it was time again. I took a step towards them, and saw that Eric had joined.

"Hey… guys," I smiled widely, "I got it from here." They just smiled stupidly.

"You sure…"

"I'm positive. Go on; I will see you guys later. Kay?"

They looked so dazed that I fought off trying to laugh. I openly guffawed as they walked back into the cafeteria.

"They like you," Rein commented.

"Unfortunately," I laughed.

"Bella has a fan club," Emmett sang out.

"They don't know me. If they knew what I was, what I do, they would run," I said.

"You're wonderful," Alec said.

"I'm the school nurse," Rein said.

"All of you are insane. You can't just come to school here and expect to fit in. People are already suspicious of you because you are different. And some of you look too young and too old to be in these positions. You're gonna get caught," I said.

"I told them coming after you was stupid," Edward said.

"And yet you came," I accused.

"I was bored."

"You missed me," I said.

"I did," Rein cut in.

"You wanted to see me again," I told Edward.

"I wanted to see you again, Bella," Rein said.

"I did not want to see you," Edward told me.

I rolled my eyes.

He rolled his.

"Then why did you come here?"

"Because I missed you," Rein said.

"Why did you save me?" Edward said.

"Touché."

* * *

**AN: Eh? Eeeh? Tell me what you thought! This was a good chapter for me to write because I think it was funny! 8-) Edward and Bella are having some drama.**

**Tell me what you think! You don't need an account to review!**

**~Sylvia~**


	23. No, No and Palais Izzy

**AN: Sorry an update was not quicker. Been busy with work and such.**

**

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**

_"I told them coming after you was stupid," Edward said._

_"And yet you came," I accused._

_"I was bored."_

_"You missed me," I said._

_"I did," Rein cut in._

_"You wanted to see me again," I told Edward._

_"I wanted to see you again, Bella," Rein said._

_"I did not want to see you," Edward told me._

_I rolled my eyes._

_He rolled his._

_"Then why did you come here?"_

_"Because I missed you," Rein said._

_"Why did you save me?" Edward said._

_"Touché."_

_

* * *

_

**22. No, No and Palais Izzy?**

"Aro!"

No answer.

"Caius!"

Still no answer.

"Marcus! Aro?"

"Stop yelling, idiot," I told Felix. "Aro," I whispered.

"Why hello, my dear."

"I don't want to be rude, but-"

"Let me guess; go home?"

"Well, yes. No offense, but you don't belong here. I left because I was ready to be away from all of you. It was great then, but now I think it's old. You've retired your stay. I'm sure Volterra misses you, Aro."

After the confrontation in the hallway, I was not too keen on going back to any of my classes. I figured after all the days of school I had missed already; teachers must me used to me missing classes. I already knew what they were teaching anyways.

I knew it would not be easy to get them to leave, but I had to try.

"Is that really what you want?" Rein looked pained. I tried to block it out. I found a window on the back wall of their humungous mansion.

"Yes. You don't fit in here. I don't even fit in here."

"Then move to Volterra," Felix suggested. "I could use a play toy."

**Edward POV**

Bella stayed at the house for a few hours; I knew she must have missed our company, as much as she would deny it if I commented. It was hard to admit to myself, but I had missed her. The excuse for a shirt she wore at school almost drove me insane.

She was beautiful, but she would never admit it.

Out of nowhere, at about 6:17, she made an excuse to leave and was out the door, mumbling about being late and Rick being upset with her. None of us knew who Rick was.

It made us curious.

**Bella POV**

Rick was probably furious with me. What did it matter? _Izzy _was my place; not his, and what I had heard, the place was still booming. Of course, everyone wondered where "Izzy" herself was while I was gone. It would just make my reappearance that much bigger.

"I'm sorry I'm late," I told him as I walked in the club doors. The club didn't open up until 7, but I was supposed to be here at 5:30 on days I would be making an appearance.

"Where have you been? I missed you," he said, giving me a big hug.

"I just visited some friends," I lied smoothly. Rick was the only one who saw through my bull, so he knew I was lying and he knew that I knew that he knew I was lying. But he didn't comment. He knew something was different about me. After 7 months, we had become close friends, but nothing more. He didn't know exactly what I was, but he knew I wasn't normal.

"What songs are you doing? No one knows you are back, yet. It will be a mad house once people catch word, you know."

"I figured you would be ticked at me for going without an excuse."

"I'm just glad "Izzy" is back to _Palais Izzy_," he laughed.

"Me too. The songs are just going to be a wing-it thing tonight, Rick. I don't have anything picked out as of now. Sorry."

"You're the owner," he reminded me. "I keep this place running. You keep the-"

"People coming," I finished.

I was surprised that Rick wasn't mad at me. I was over an hour late, no song choices picked out, no plan. I was on the fly tonight.

"It's going to get crazy busy once word gets out Izzy is back, you know that?"

"Bring it," I laughed.

Seven months ago, Esme and Carlisle decided I needed an outlet for my life because I was always down on life, bored. They bought this little dump and gave it to me. I cleaned it up and named it "Palace Izzy". _Palais Izzy_, in French. I thought it sounded cooler in French.

Normally, I don't like attention, but when I walk through the doors of _Izzy_, I become "Izzy". People that come here don't see Bella. The people that come to Palace Izzy see the awesome and spirratic Izzy: mysterious, dangerous, talented, and lovable.

It's a place I can express myself and people like it. I can get away for a while and entertain.

Yes, kids from Forks High come. The main reason Jessica stays so close is the fact I own the most popular hot spot in Seattle. No one talks about it at school; I'm supposed to only be seventeen, of course. How would it look if teachers found out I owned the famous _Palais Izzy_? Some of them have visited, but I am hardly recognizable once Dave gets a hold of me.

"There you are," he screeched. "Oh, I have the perfect thing for you to wear tonight! And your makeup, don't make me scream. You will be glorious. Tonight will be perfect!"

Dave is gay, which is refreshing when most of the straight guys in your life make you miserable.

"Go to work."

**Rein POV**

"_Palais Izzy_? I didn't know Bella owned a club. Did any of you know?"

"Of course not. She could own a dinosaur as a pet and none of us would know. I am so glad we followed her. This is going to be so awesome," Emmett yelled.

**Edward POV**

"I absolutely never thought Bella would be gutsy enough to perform in a club, let alone own one," Phil said. "She is just as volatile as her mother was," he laughed. "She hates attention, and yet she performs in front of a crowd on a regular basis."

"Perhaps she likes this kind of attention. She was certainly at home in front of the guests at your party, Edward," Rein commented.

"We must stay and watch," I said.

_No dip, Sherlock_, Emmett thought.

Just then, Bella and the guy named Dave went into a closed room.

"The guy is obviously guy-crazy, but I feel his sisterly love for her," Jasper commented.

"Absolutely stunning," I said. I could see Bella from Dave's thoughts. He was obviously proud of his work. I had to admit it was amazing.

"_Thanks, Dave; you're always the best at making me feel pretty," she said._

"_Honey, you are sexy; go out there and work it!"_

"I wanna see what she looks like," Alec yelled.

"I didn't know you considered Bella stunning, Edward," Aro whispered.

"I don't," I said coolly. They all knew I was lying. My walls were falling because of this girl. "Let's go in. People are starting to arrive."

Something was going to change tonight. I could feel it, and I had to finally admit to myself that Bella scared me a little.

**Bella POV**

"Show time?" I was already going over the song choices in my head. It would be a great night. I chose songs that expressed how I was feeling. Those close to me would understand. I just needed to use Club Izzy as what it was meant for: my outlet.

**Rein POV**

"Are you guys ready?" Rick yelled from the stage. He had stage presence, maybe better than mine. He sure had the practice. "We have a surprise for all of you tonight! You're lucky! Brag to your friends," he yelled. "Hit it!"

**(Until the Day I Die- Story of the Year)**

Rick started singing

_Until the day I die  
I'll spill my heart for you (for you)  
Until the day I die  
I'll spill my heart for you_

Just then, Bella jumped out from behind the stage curtains and grabbed the mike from Rick. He went to play the drums in the band.

Bella was gorgeous in a black skirt and tank with army boots.

_As years go by I race the clock with you  
But if you died right now you know that I'd die to, I'd die too  
You remind me of the times when I knew who I was  
(When I knew who I was)  
But still the second hand will catch us like it always does_

The guys and I laughed at the irony of the song. 

_We'll make the same mistakes take the fall for you  
Hope you need this now I know I still do_

_Until the day I die  
(Until the day I die)  
I'll spill my heart for you, for you  
Until the day I die  
(Until the day I die)  
I'll spill my heart for you_

_Should I bite my tongue until blood soaks my shirt?  
Never fall apart so tell me why this hurts so much_

"How are you guys tonight?" She yelled to the crowd. "It's awesome to be back with you," she smiled. Big applause.

**(Only Exception- Paramore)**

_When I was younger  
I saw my daddy cry  
And curse at the wind  
He broke his own heart  
And I watched  
As he tried to reassemble it_

_And my momma swore that  
She would never let herself forget  
And that was the day that I promised  
I'd never sing of love  
If it does not exist_

_But darling,  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception_

_Maybe I know, somewhere  
Deep in my soul  
That love never lasts  
And we've got to find other ways  
To make it alone  
Keep a straight face_

_And I've always lived like this  
Keeping a comfortable, distance  
And up until now  
I had sworn to myself that I'm  
Content with loneliness_

_Because none of it was ever worth the risk_

_Well, You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception_

_I've got a tight grip on reality  
But I can't  
Let go of what's in front of me here  
I know you're leaving  
In the morning, when you wake up  
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream_

_Ohh-_

_You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception_

_And I'm on my way to believing  
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing_

"Thank you!" she smiled. "Thank you so much. Hey, wanna hear Rick again?" Big applause.

**(Guardian Angel- Red Jumpsuit Apparatus)**

_When I see your smile  
Tears roll down my face  
I can't replace_

_And now that I'm strong I have figured out  
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul,  
And I know I'll find deep inside me, I can be the one_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all,  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_It's okay_

_It's okay_

_It's okay_

_Seasons are changing and waves are crashing  
And stars are falling all for us  
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter  
I can show you I'll be the one_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all,  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

_Cause you're my  
You're my, my  
My true love  
My whole heart  
Please don't throw that away_

_Cause I'm here, for you  
Please don't walk away and  
Please tell me you'll stay, stay_

_Use me as you will  
Pull my strings just for a thrill  
And I know I'll be okay  
Though my skies are turning gray_

_I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up with you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven_

I could see Edward out of the corner of my eye and I did not enjoy the look in his eyes. That song hit him with a force, and he was falling for Bella. I could see fear in his eyes.

His feelings were scaring both of us, and were making Jasper smile.

**(You Could Be Happy- Snow Patrol)**

_You could be happy  
And I won't know  
But you weren't happy  
The day I watched you go_

_And all the things  
That I wished I had not said  
Are played on loops  
Till it's madness in my head_

_Is it too late to remind you  
How we were  
But not our last days of silence  
Screaming, blur_

_Most of what I remember  
Makes me sure  
I should have stopped you from walking  
Out the door_

_You could be happy  
I hope you are  
You made me happier  
Than I'd been by far_

_Somehow everything  
I own smells of you  
And for the tiniest moment  
It's all not true_

_Do the things  
That you always wanted to  
Without me there to hold you back  
Don't think, just do_

_More than anything  
I want to see you go  
Take a glorious bite_  
_Out of the whole world_

"This is my last song, guys," Bella said.

**(Secret- One Republic)**

_I need another story  
Something to get off my chest  
My life gets kinda boring  
Need something that I can confess_

_'Til all my sleeves are stained red  
From all the truth that I've said  
Come by it honestly I swear  
Thought you saw me wink, no  
I've been on the brink, so_

_Tell me what you want to hear  
Something that were like those years  
I'm sick of all the insincere  
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_This time  
Don't need another perfect line  
Don't care if critics ever jump in line  
I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_My God  
Amazing that we got this far  
It's like we're chasing all those stars  
Who's driving shiny big black cars_

_And everyday I see the news, all the problems that we could solve  
And when a situation rises, just write it into an album  
Seen it straight to go  
I don't really like my flow, no, so_

_Tell me what you want to hear  
Something that were like those years  
I'm sick of all the insincere  
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_This time  
Don't need another perfect line  
Don't care if critics ever jump in line  
I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_Oh, got no reason, got not shame  
Got no family I can blame  
Just don't let me disappear  
I'mma tell you everything_

_So tell me what you want to hear  
Something that were like those years  
I'm ick of all the insincere  
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_This time  
Don't need another perfect line  
Don't care if critics ever jump in line  
I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_So tell me what you want to hear  
Something that were like those years  
Sick of all the insincere  
So I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_This time  
Don't need another perfect line  
Don't care if critics ever jump in line  
I'm gonna give all my secrets away_

_All my secrets away  
All my secrets away_

Bella exited the stage to applause and caught my eye before going out the back.

"She knows we're here. Go out the back," Edward said. Maybe it wasn't my eye she caught.

"I should have known you would follow me," she shook her head once we were all outside. "Welcome to _Palais Izzy_," she snided.

"We just wanted to know why you left so early, that's all," Emmett said.

"Well, this is my personal life. You guys cannot just bust in. Come on, you don't belong. Please just go away," she yelled.

"We can't," Aro reasoned. "We are still becoming acquainted with you, Isabella."

"Just don't make a spectacle out of yourselves, please."

"When have we ever done that?" Emmett asked.

* * *

**AN: BAM! Bet none of you guessed that Bella had her own club. I thought it was a good idea, shows you that she has been keeping a lot from the boys. A whole lot. The plot thickens in the next chapter. Someone nice may not be so nice.**

**Review because I want reviews. You no need no account to review. Wow, incorrect grammar makes me head hurt. HeeHee. Me head. Okay, bye-bye.**

**~Sylvia~**


	24. 23 All We Are

**AN: Sorry it's been so long. Shoot me later.**** How could I not update on the two year anniversary of this story?**

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**23. All We Are  
**

Those boys drive me up the wall. If they knew just how much they drove me up the wall, they would probably get a rock wall and follow me. You know it's true. Since leaving _Palais Izzy_, I've had this feeling that someone was following me- not a whole bunch of someones, but that does not mean anything. The guys just could not stay away, let alone go away.

There is a clearing in the woods where flowers are always blooming and the sky is always blue. I go there to escape life any time I need to be alone. Today, however, I knew that I was being followed, and my reason for going to the clearing was that the one following me would have nowhere to hide.

As I trudged over the last part of the hill and made it into the center of the clearing, I sensed danger. The someone following me was not any of my boys. It was someone else. It was someone angry.

"It took a bit longer for me to figure out what you are, compared to others."

"Bri? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play with me, Bella. I knew there had to be a reason I was drawn to Forks. I know what you are, and I can't let you exist. You are an abomination. Sure, I was attracted to you when we met, but I sensed something was… off. And now I know what it is. You're a vampire," Bri snided. I could not believe that he had been so appealing yesterday.

"You're wrong."

"Am I? Certainly, you're not a full vampire. You're different from the others- your family, the strangers who have just arrived here, and the humans you surround yourself with. You are like a… blend, Bella. Half-n-half. But even so, I can't let you live. I will get rid of you, and then I will take care of your family. Sad you did not get to say goodbye."

With this, all-around-nice-guy Brice, lunged at me with a stake. Really, a stake? Did he think this was a movie or something? Hell.

"What are you doing?" I screamed as I jumped over him.

"Killing you. I am sorry, Bella. I thought you were really nice when we met. But I cannot turn my back on my destiny."

"Your destiny?"

"I kill vampires," he drawled out. It sounded like a line right out of a movie. Heck, maybe we _were_ in a movie.

He lunged at me with the stake and I looked at him and closed my eyes. Maybe it was better this way. The world would be rid of one more monster, but I couldn't let him kill my family. Then, it occurred to me. He was trying to kill me with a stake. He had probably never killed a vampire in his life.

"Have you ever actually killed a vampire?"

"Well, I thought I got close once," he blushed.

"Look, Bri-"

"You don't get to call me that anymore. It's Brice to you."

"Okay. Brice, we both know you have never killed a vampire. We both know you are not going to start now. If I was you, I would go back to Texas. I won't kill you, but I know some real vampires who will. I would leave now before they find out that you tried to kill me."

He looked at me and shook his head. "Someone has to kill you."

"She kills herself every day," a menacing voice said.

Brice and I looked toward the edge of the clearing and Edward appeared. It had started raining, and the water dripping from Edward's hair made him look… beautiful.

"Look… man… my fight it not with you. Leave me alone," Brice grimaced.

"You have ten minutes to get out of Forks. If I still smell your dirty existence at the end of that ten minutes, I will find myself not needing to hunt today," Edward ground the words out and spat anger.

Brice ran. That was the last time I ever saw him.

"Are you okay?" There was resentment in Edward's voice, but his eyes showed concern I hadn't seen before.

"I was okay before you even got here."

"I know." I was shocked that he was so willing to let that go. What had gotten into him? Two weeks ago he would have sat in the corner of the clearing and hoped that Brice got a good lunge at me. Now, he was threatening his cover in Forks to save me. We both knew I was in no danger with that stake, but being threatened makes one feel threatened.

"It's raining," Edward whispered. He took a step closer.

"It always does." He took another step towards me. I took a small step back.

"It's cold." More steps forward.

"It always is." He was a foot away now. He looked down and closed the distance between us. He smelled so good in the rain. I wanted to run, but I couldn't. Edward looked up at me and his eyes were intense.

"Where are all the guys," I rasped out. It was getting hard for me to breathe.

"Not here," he whispered in my ear. By now my head was spinning. Edward Volturi's lips were one inch away from mine.

"Are they following you?" I could barely hear my own words.

"No."

Edward brushed his lips along mine and I would swear a current of electricity shot through my whole body. He moved his hands to my sides and pulled me to him. I looked into his eyes as his lips came back on mine. My mind was reeling and I couldn't stop myself.

My hands were in his hair. His hands were on my back. My hands were on his chest. His hands were pulling me closer. He kissed me fiercly, and I understood he was saying he was sorry. Words he wouldn't express aloud were coming across loud and clear.

I could not believe Edward Volturi was kissing me. What did this mean? Did it mean anything? Was he just playing with me? Secretly, I hoped not.

He pulled away slowly and spoke onto my lips, "We're even."

Before I could open my eyes, he was gone. I was sure it was a dream. It had to be. Edward Volturi did not feel that way about me. He couldn't. He hated me. He didn't understand me. How was it, then, that my lips were still blazing with passion? Was he as affected by the kiss as I was?

He was right, too. We were finally even. Of course, he didn't save my life in so many words. I was never in any danger, but he did get rid of an annoying thorn in my side. That was as important to me as Edward's life was to him.

I ran home, and as I ran I made the decision that I would ignore Edward Volturi. It was too much to believe that he would feel that way about me, and as much as I didn't want to admit it to myself, Edward had broken down some of my walls, and I couldn't put them back up. "He can't do this to me. He can't," I whispered.

What did I feel for Edward, anyways? Did I… love him?

No.

Did I? There was no way. He was a jerk. He had women all over him. I couldn't share him. I wouldn't. Maybe he knew how I felt about him. Maybe he was secretly making fun of me. I couldn't take that rejection.

So I would avoid him. It wouldn't be that hard. I did not have any classes with him today. I doubted he would try to talk to me.

"Bella, why have you been touching your lips like that all hour?"

I hadn't even noticed I had been doing that. Jessica had caught me off guard.

"I don't know," I lied. She looked like she didn't believe me. I was a terrible liar. To be truthful, I had not been able to stop reliving the kiss. Edward's hands felt like they were still on me, but he was probably on the other side of the school.

In art class, I drew Edward's eyes. One of them was evil. One of them was how he had looked at me this morning. I couldn't pull my mind away from his touch. He had infected me like some kind of disease which had no cure. I was falling for him. I knew I had to be. So this was what love felt like. Why did it feel so sickening? Was it because I knew he would never feel the same for me?

I dreaded walking into lunch, as you can imagine. Then, it occurred to me. I am Bella. Izzy. I can't let anyone see my weaknesses. I decided to be bold. That lunch table with five was about to have six. I would ignore Edward and act as if nothing had happened between us while maintaining my breezy attitude with the others.

Why was I so afraid?

"Hey guys," I said as I took my spot beside Alec and Emmett.

"Bella!" Alec and Emmett grabbed me up in a big hug.

"A Bella sandwich," Felix commented.

"How long are you guys planning on sticking around?" I secretly hoped they would stay, which went against everything I had said to them these past few days. It is amazing what one kiss from Edward Volturi can do to a person.

"What's this? I thought you were ready for us to leave," Phil said as he approached the lunch table, followed by Rein, who smiled slowly, sadly.

"You're drawing attention to yourselves," I commented.

It was surprising that none of them seemed to know what had occurred earlier this morning. No one mentioned the Brice thing, and no one teased me about Edward. It made sense that Edward would want to keep our encounter secret. He probably regretted the whole thing.

"Bella?"

There I was, again, staring into space, but this time it wasn't empty. Edward was smirking at me as I stared at him. I lowered my fingers away from my lips, and the fire in my body was not just from embarrassment. Edward's eyes twinkled, and the room started spinning.

"Earth to Bella!"

I got up and ran where no boys can follow.

The bathroom stall was closing in on me, just like my life had been doing all day.

I gripped the walls and cried. Rose and Alice had skipped today. They usually made me feel better when life made me cry. I was alone today-all alone in a blue, paint-chipping stall.

I stayed there until the last bell rang.

It shouldn't have surprised me when I opened the bathroom door and my boys were waiting for me.

"Any particular reason you decided to sit in the boy's bathroom all day, Bella?"

I had to think quickly. To be honest, the blue stall should have been a giveaway, along with the bad smell. "Well, Emmy, the girl's bathroom is full of gossiping tramps." He chuckled. I'm a bad liar. They knew as well as I did that the fact I was in the gender opposite bathroom was news to me.

"What's wrong with you today?" Jasper asked. "I am sensing turmoil, anger, and fear."

I caught Edward's eye. "Well, you know- I'm just tired." None of them believed me. Can you imagine?

"Bella is just a little confused as to what we are doing here," Edward offered. I looked at him and he winked. WINKED! Was he just playing with my head? His crooked smile told me he was enjoying watching me squirm.

"Where are Aro and the others?"

"Around," Felix responded.

"I gotta go," I said, and I brushed past the boys, the love of my life, and the girl's bathroom.

Did I really call Edward the love of my life? Was he? Could he be? He would never think of me that way.

**EdwardPOV**

I could tell Bella was shaken by my kissing her this morning. It was amazing kissing Bella. I knew I had to try it. I had made a pact with myself before I set off to find her. I would see if she had feelings for me, and if she did I would kiss her. I didn't know she would attack me. The thought made me smile.

"Edward, what is going on with Bella?" Jasper waited until the guys were out of hearing distance before questioning me.

"I don't know why you would ask me, Jasper."

"Because I think you have something to do with it," he smiled.

"You're wrong."

"Am I?"

I stopped walking and Jasper followed my lead. "I don't know what is wrong with Bella."

"You're lying," he drawled, still smiling.

"Yes, I am."

**JasperPOV**

"Just promise you won't hurt her. We all know she can't take much more rejection."

"How can I reject her when I think I love her, Jasper?"

I knew it.

**BellaPOV**

"Bella, honey, are you sure you don't want to go with us? I feel terrible leaving you home when you just got back," Esme sighed. She and Carlisle were going to meet up with Rose and Alice and go hunting until tomorrow evening.

"I'm sure. I have to catch up on everything I have missed since I was away." At the mention of this, Carlisle and Esme exchanged a look, but they let it go. "You guys have fun and kill a mountain lion for me," I joked. They still looked like they wanted me to change my mind, but I wasn't going to. I needed some quiet time to think about Edward.

When midnight was approaching, there was a knock on the downstairs window. At first, I thought it was just a tree knocking against the pane, but when I heard my name called, I knew I had a visitor.

I was only wearing a t-shirt. I blushed when I thought about the night I was sleeping in Edward's room at the mansion and couldn't get comfortable. I went through his drawers until I found this shirt. I hadn't realized until this night that I had packed it. But whoever was visiting me tonight wouldn't know that, so I went to the window.

"Hello?" No one was out there. I went to the door and opened it. "Hello, who is it?"

"Can I come in?" It was Edward. I couldn't see him, but I would know that voice anywhere. It was soothing to me, even when he was angry or being sarcastic with me. He was my weakness.

"Sure."

He stepped out of the shadow and into the house. I hadn't turned on a light, seeing as I didn't really need one. I went to flip the switch when Edward's hand stopped mine. I turned it on with my other hand.

"Nice shirt," he laughed. I blushed. I had forgotten about that.

"I can explain."

"You don't need to," he said seriously.

"What do you want with me, Edward?" He chuckled and I rephrased, "What are we doing? What is this?"

"Bella-"

"Why are you messing with my head?"

"Bella-"

"Is there a reason you like torturing me? Can't you leave me alone?"

"No, Bella. I can't leave you alone," he whispered.

"Why did you kiss me?" I pleaded.

"I wanted to know what it was like."

"Great, did you enjoy yourself, then? Was it just like a roller coaster?" I was on the verge of tears. How could someone be so cruel? And yet, I didn't care. As long as he was near me I didn't care if he loved me or hated me. I looked down.

Edward put his fingers under my chin, and closed the distance between us as he lifted my head. "Look at me."

"Why?"

"Bella, I have been trying to stay away from you. I have. You are stubborn, enclosed, and irresistible. You have no idea what you do to the people you meet. You're infuriating. You make me angrier than anyone-"

"Then just leave," I said.

He looked resentful. "I can't. I can't leave you because you saved my life and I don't know why. I can't leave because I don't want you to be close to anyone else. I can't leave you, Bella, because I think I am falling in love with you," he said this angrily.

"I'm glad that makes you so happy," I yelled sarcastically.

"I hate that I love you, Bella, but that doesn't change the fact that I do."

"So where do we go from here, huh? You stay mad at me and kiss me whenever you want to, holding me by a string, like a yoyo for when you need me-"

"Bella, shut up," he whispered exasperatedly, holding my gaze in his intense one.

"Okay."

"I'm going to kiss you, now. Do you think you can handle that for just a minute?"

"No"

"Too bad," he growled. With that, he had his lips on mine, his hands on my hips. I felt electricity again. He was slowly backing me up against the wall of our living room, cornering me. He removed his lips from mine and kissed my chin, sending chills down my spine. I wasn't going to let him win that easily.

I pushed him off me, and when he looked like he was going to come back, I ran at him and knocked him down. "That is for hating me." When he jumped back up, I walked him against the couch and kissed him. "That is for loving me."

He turned us around and kissed my forehead. "That is for saving my life." He picked me up and gave me an angry look before walking me into the kitchen. He kissed me fiercly and angrily. "That is for thinking Rein can kiss you and I will be okay with it."

Then he took my hand and kissed his way up my arm. "Do you love me?"

"Yes," I whispered.

He looked into my eyes and kissed me softly. We closed our eyes together and the room started spinning. "Then that is for loving me back."

"Are we going to tell the guys? Because I don't think we should. They would tease me to no end if they knew we were together-"

"Are we together?" I was hurt by that, but he added, "Because I want us to be."

"So we won't tell the guys?"

He looked me over. "We won't tell the guys until you're ready."

"Okay," I said, relieved.

"Can I kiss you again?"

"You don't have to ask," I said, pulling him towards me.

"I hate you, you know."

"I hate you, too, Edward."

"Then why are you so happy?" He chuckled.

"Because I love you more."

"Me too."

* * *

**AN: Thank you for sticking with me. Review.**

**~Sylvia~  
**


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